Harry Potter and The Sanctuary of Moon
by Kat Darling
Summary: *Set in PoA* Politics never interested Remus Lupin. Not of muggles, wizards, or even his own people. But when Dumbledore calls upon him for a task, he must oblige. He and the Queen of the Sanctuary are now sworn to protect Harry Potter from mass murderer, Sirius Black. Can they trust each other to fulfill their promises? Or do their ties to Sirius both run too deep?
1. Chapter 1

Remus Lupin enjoyed solitude.

At whatever concept enjoyment was for him; he at the least knew solitude to be an old, trusting friend. And it took an item of great importance to be plucked from it and placed in this forest. But Dumbledore's orders, as minimally worded as they may have been, were one of the few things that could place him in step with the hooded man beside him.

They trudged in silence, a small dim pathway lit by wand light alone that seemed to stretch for an eternity before them. The trees, dense and dying, lined the damp winding path like royal black curtains, and they could tell where magic began to touch this forest because the curtains began to sparkle against the light.

"Remus," Albus Dumbledore motioned for the man just behind him to the right to step forward "send message of our arrival. I have no interest in venturing any further unannounced."

Remus Lupin lowered the hood on his patched travelling robe and drew his lit wand to his mouth.

"Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and party seeking audience with-" he was interrupted by the arrival of a patronus, a silvery bat, fluttering through the air above them. Of course, they all knew that just beyond the veil of trees they'd no doubt been followed here for at least the last mile.

"Wands away. Continue forward. You were expected," The bat spoke in the deep voice of a man, and promptly vanished. The hooded figure to Remus's left bristled a bit and reluctantly extinguished his wand. As Dumbledore and Remus extinguished theirs, the whole of their surroundings went to absolute darkness.

"Well how in the-" began the hooded figure, the fear in his voice biting the end of each word, but stopped when he saw it. Coming toward them in the same direction as the patronus, was a tiny floating ball of fire. Dumbledore caught it like a slow moving baseball throw, perching it just in front of him. The ball began to lazily float back to where it had come from, begging them to follow.

"Severus, for the record, none of us wants to be here. It would do you some good to breathe a little. As I'm quite sure you know, they can smell fear…" Remus whispered to his companion, bringing his hood back up against the cold. Severus Snape flinched and cleared his throat.

"Some of us are more welcome here than others," he responded quietly, continuing his cautious canter just behind the both of them. That was not a lie. In fact, Remus still hadn't quite worked out how Severus played into this at all. Unless Dumbledore had finally come to his senses about the man and intended to use him sacrificially.

After a few more minutes, they had reached what inevitably had to be the entrance. It wasn't exactly as Remus remembered it, and it seemed so for Dumbledore as well. The ball of flame rejoined it's host, a torch that lit a black wooden door nestled along a wall of rock.

"We do not allow his kind here," a voice spoke from the wooded darkness beyond the torchlight. Dumbledore smiled politely.

"He is in my care and under strict guidance," Dumbledore responded, maintaining his pleasant smile while still facing the doorway.

"Not the werewolf. The death eater," another voice spoke, seeming to come from a very close place just beyond Snape's reach. He bristled again, his wand hand flinched but remained at his side, staring forward at the door as hard as he could manage to.

"Exactly who I was speaking about. I know it has been some time, but I can still be trusted," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"That is the only reason he lives," replied the voice quietly.

The wooden door swung open, though no one appeared on the other side. Dumbledore and Remus stepped through, but Snape hesitated. He felt a grazing brush of physical contact at his arm, and promptly hurried himself in.

They found themselves in a grand hall lit by a large silver chandelier hanging overhead at least a hundred feet above them. Along the ornate walls hung a series of portraits as far out ahead as they could see, all a single man or woman seated in the same large embellished chair, dressed in the same dark robes, their red eyes glowing down on the guests with the same placid demeanor.

"Announcing the arrival of: Professors of the school of Hogwarts, Mr. Remus John Lupin and Mr. Severus Tobias Snape, and Headmaster of the school of Hogwarts, Mr. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Welcome and welcome back to the most ancient and noble House of Moon!"

They all looked up, including the portraits, to a balcony high above them where the announcer stood, a pale house elf in a black suit who held a small golden sheet of paper just beyond his fingertips that promptly burst into flame. He spun and disappeared on the spot, appearing again a few feet from them in the hall. His red eyes glowed against his pale green skin, his welcoming smile filled with sharpened fangs that were not quite as warm.

"She has been expecting you," he said to Dumbledore, who again smiled politely. The stout house elf extended his arm, and Dumbledore proceeded to remove his travelling cloak and place it neatly by the elf's elbow. Snape shifted uncomfortably again, drawing a very small breath before he mimicked the action along with Remus. The man stared at Remus for a moment, shamelessly furrowing his brow at Remus's prominent scarring. Not something he wasn't accustomed to, but still an uncomfortable occurrence.

"Apologies for any intrusion upon you, Mr. Lupin. I only wonder why you haven't been to us sooner, to avoid all of your… unnecessary injury," the man stated, patting down his patched travelling cloak as though it too could have been more pristine. Remus smiled weakly at the elf but did not respond. The house elf glanced at Dumbledore and bowed deeply.

"If any sirs need a single thing, call upon Freddo, that is I. She awaits you ahead in the dining hall," he said to the floor as he bowed. Dumbledore raised a single finger on his hand.

"Just one question, Freddo. Our meeting was with a man by the name of Maxwell, in the morning. We were expected by whom?" he asked. Snape's eyes widened a little, the same uncomfortable shift now a blatant tell. Remus flexed a bit as well. None of this felt right from the moment they'd walked in. He looked around a bit, but couldn't see a way out.

"Apologies, our current Queen Regnant, Queen Morgana the Kind, sir," he answered, still deep in his bow. Dumbledore nodded, though to himself, and watched Freddo vanish. He turned, addressing Remus and Snape quickly.

"We're meeting with the queen directly? We didn't-" Snape began, but Dumbledore quickly hushed him. The portraits were still watching and, though still placid, they seemed intent on Snape. Remus knew he could feel them, and though they were just pictures they didn't seem to ease the ever increasing anxiety Snape displayed.

"Recall my instructions," he said quietly "do not speak, do not make eye contact. Clear your minds."

He turned back and made his way calmly down the hall. Every foot or so, another portrait would join the intent and uncomfortable staring at Snape, who despite Remus's warning seemed to grow more uneasy by the footstep. Remus couldn't blame him. This wasn't comfortable for any of them, welcome or unwelcome.

They eventually reached an ornate doorway that poured a soft light from underneath it, and Dumbledore gently pushed the door open.

The dining hall was magnificent, as large as the Great Hall of Hogwarts and similarly arranged. Candles floated serenely between tables, and surely when it was occupied it seemed capable of holding at least a thousand people.

At the far end of the table, a few steps led up to a grander table where a single woman sat with a goblet in her left hand. She stood. Her dark robes flowed along the floor as she walked, the same as each portrait figure had been adorned in back in the hall. Her heels clicked along the marble flooring, but she seemed to glide rather than step. She was undeniably beautiful, with pale skin and dark hair that gleamed as it too flowed along like her dark robes. Her eyes were not red, but a light purple that she held firmly on Remus as she approached. She looked not a day over 18. Much too young to be queen of anything.

"Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Morgana, I require nothing more than that. It is my personal pleasure to welcome you to the Sanctuary of Moon," she said in a light voice. She shook hands with Dumbledore and Remus, and turned her hand away from Snape.

"Your kind have already been here, death eater. I believe they received an answer before they reached the door," her voice was instantly more cold to him, her eyes a bit darker, sending a visible shiver down Snape's marked arm. He bristled again, glancing at Dumbledore.

"Morgana, my companion may hold the mark of a follower of Voldemort, but he is a trusted employee of my school and is not here on behalf of anyone but me," Dumbledore assured, staring just past her. She continued to focus on Snape who avoided her eyes by watching his own hands, laced together so tightly in front of him that his knuckles were fiercely white.

She motioned her hand out, pulling chairs from thin air and placing them just before the table nearest them. She flicked her wrist and three bottles of butter beer appeared before each chair.

"I won't subject you to sharing in my drink," she said with a small laugh, her own goblet flying through the air and into her outstretched hand. The dark liquid inside swished gently, emitting a slow rising steam.

The three of them took seat, Dumbledore in the middle, Remus to the right, and Snape to the left. Morgana reappeared on the other end of the table, taking a seat with her goblet in hand.

"Please, indulge. I have nothing but time in this world, and you've no doubt had a long journey to get here," she said, taking a sip from her goblet.

Remus and Dumbledore unscrewed the tops of the butter beer and both took a long sip. Snape remained stone set at Dumbledore's side, his wringing hands now on display at the table.

"I have no intention of causing any human in this world any harm, even a death eater. Drink your drink, lest you be seen as rude," she added with a sternness that made Snape unscrew the lid on his bottle and take the most miniscule of drinks from it.

"Morgana," Dumbledore began, eliciting a smile from her as she drank, her eyes still on Snape "I must admit I was not expecting to meet with you directly."

"Ah, yes. You were to be meeting a member of my court, but what with the death eaters and the ministry both attempting to make my acquaintance this same week, I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about. So, do tell," she said, placing her goblet down and putting her elbows on the table.

"Well, I suppose I know why the ministry contacted you. And it is somewhat similar to why we are here," Dumbledore responded. Remus took another long drink of butter beer, attempting his best to have no interest in the conversation, or negotiation, going on before him.

Morgana's lilac eyes flashed at Remus, narrowing slightly, her long dark lashes fluttering. He made the mistake of catching her eye down the end of his bottle.

"Why?" she asked Remus, her brow furrowed in concentration. He looked quickly away from her, she made a derisive ticking noise with her tongue and laughed at him.

"You could stand to take some lessons from these two, werewolf. You read like a threadbare book," she said with another laugh. She looked at Dumbledore, who sat with the same polite smile he'd held this whole time. She continued with Remus, her face stern and her eyes dark again.

"I understand you've been given these very generous and considerate rules of conduct here, but I will tell you quite honestly that old hat stuff is not my preferred method. Number one, you needn't worry about eye contact, it's an on and off switch kind of a thing, and werewolf blood is disgusting. Number two, I could care less for the supplementary titles I am given in order to lead this sanctuary so please do not treat me any differently because the vampire elf calls me 'Queen Morgana the Kind'. I am no queen and I am only kind when it is deserved. So deserve it, Professor Remus John Lupin of Hogwarts. Tell me why."

Remus looked to Dumbledore, who shrugged ever so slightly. He'd been instructed not to speak, and he'd tried miserably to keep his mind clear. Morgana picked up her goblet with both hands and took a heavy drink, her eyes not leaving Remus for a moment. Remus finally locked eyes with hers, laying his elbows on the table calmly. The scarring on his hands and wrists drew her attention downward for a moment.

"I can't tell you why any death eaters have been to see you," he began. She shook her head, placing her cup down and smiling.

"Seeking asylum, trying to lay low. They were old hat too. Didn't know we were under new management," she answered, flashing a small smile; the long canines of her pearlescent white teeth showing for the slightest of moments as she did.

"I am sure the ministry came here looking for him, though that seemed a mistake for them as well," he continued. She smiled a little more at him, taking another sip from her goblet.

"And you truly believe he will come for the boy at Hogwarts?" she asked. Remus and Dumbledore both nodded. She looked to each of them in turn, taking a final sip of her goblet and setting it down on the table. She focused on Dumbledore now, finally allowing Remus a reprieve from her burning spotlight.

"Well, of course you have the support of the Sanctuary of Moon. What is it you need from me, Headmaster?" she said finally, stealing one more glance at Remus, who smiled weakly in return. She was a draining person to speak to.

"We need a post to be filled, one week of each month as a Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, to assist Professor Lupin during the period of the full moon," Dumbledore answered. Her smile lessened a bit and she allowed a period of silence before replying.

"You will receive a monthly Wolfsbane potion, correct?" she asked Remus, who glanced at Snape and nodded.

"Professor Snape is an incredibly talented potions master, he already has a stock supply for Professor Lupin prepared," Dumbledore added. Morgana nodded, closing her lilac eyes for a moment to ponder the arrangement.

"I have a steady thing going here, Headmaster. We are self sustaining, we are no longer living in squalor and filth, under the ground like the actual dead. We have infrastructure, schooling, we do not dine on the flesh and blood of people. I have created a lot of good here, humbleness be damned."

It seemed she had every reason to be proud. The last time Remus had been here, it had been just as she'd said. Territorial, cave-like, barely human existences. He'd decided at once and for all that he was better off in solitude above ground.

"That cannot be denied, Morgana. I only ask for a week of your time, it would be completely optional to provide any more of your attention to the matter of Sirius Black. It is only my thought that if he knows you are present, along with Professor Lupin, he may opt to stay away from Harry Potter."

"What exactly makes you think he'd fear me?" she asked Dumbledore, but her eyes again flashed at Remus and she laughed, her eyes lingering with a twinkle on his facial scars.

"For those of you who don't read minds," Remus said quietly, taking a final swig of his butterbeer, "I thought, 'who wouldn't?'" She was the only one who seemed to think he was funny. Snape made a small throaty noise but offered nothing else.

"Mmm, handsome and a sense of humor too. I see exactly why you brought him, Headmaster. I have some arrangements to make, but you have my word. I will guard the boy, and the school, with my life," she said, offering her hand to Dumbledore. He took it, and they shook, a small glow emanating from where their palms met.


	2. Chapter 2

"You know, I'm quite sure I went to school with you."

She hadn't spoken much beyond a yawn until they'd gotten their luggage and seats in the end compartment. Remus settled into the window seat while Morgana perched herself up next to him. He stared down at her curiously. She had left maybe an inch of space between them, despite the entire compartment being empty. Part of him felt quite cornered by the much smaller woman.

"You look a bit young for that," he replied. She laughed.

"Of course I do. We don't age right, though some of us better than others," she shot back with a waggle of her eyebrow at him. He smiled weakly and ran a hand through his hair, recalling the grey flecks that seemed to multiply every time he caught an eyeful of himself in a mirror.

"Well I did. I remember you, Potter, Pettigrew, and Black. I suppose I'm about 4 or 5 years your junior. I'd be turning a ripe old 30, if I aged that way anymore," she continued, looking up at him with her twinkling purple eyes. As much as he tried to rack his brain, he knew he'd never seen anyone like her in his time at Hogwarts.

"Well of course you didn't. I didn't look this way then," she motioned to her face, and then her body. Remus did not look further down than her collarbone, where a necklace hung on a dainty silver chain that disappeared below her shirt.

"And I was in Slytherin, you would've had no business knowing me. I only ever saw you in the library, we studied near each other a lot. I just remember that you've always had this one," she reached out and touched the scar that extended from under his eye to the bridge of his nose. He stiffened at her touch, her fingertips were a bit cold but soft. She recoiled, but didn't lose her smirk.

"You were a little less worse for the wear then. Still handsome, though," she added, patting his leg with a little laugh. He couldn't help but flinch a little when she touched him. It was like a tiny electric shock every time. And he wasn't accustomed to physical contact. Or compliments.

"Dumbledore's compassion for you inspired my compassion for change in the underground," she said more quietly, another yawn escaping her. Remus felt his cheeks warm a bit, unsure how to respond. She smiled at him.

"Care if I take a short nap? I don't snore, I swear."

She'd fallen asleep shortly after. And in sleep, Remus Lupin supposed she looked much less like an intimidating queen of a nation of werewolves and vampires and more like a young woman who was going to pretend to be his much better looking half for a year. She was nestled up on his shoulder draped in his travelling cloak, which had been returned to him by her house elf in such pristine condition he'd had to check the tag inside to make sure it was his. He watched out the window as the train finally began to depart from the station, the students hurrying along into compartments of their own. Remus was surprised the commotion of the kids hadn't woken her, but she seemed to be a heavy sleeper. They'd exchanged rings, small black bands that would connect them. It felt heavy and uncomfortable on his finger, he'd never cared for jewelry and he'd certainly never so much as entertained the idea of being married before.

He was surprised when she jostled slightly and whispered "be asleep."

He obeyed, closing his eyes and leaning on the glass, her ring clad hand draped over his, which in turn held his wand safely hidden as she pulled part of his travelling cloak onto his lap.

"Well, this is the only compartment left," Hermione said, standing ambivalent in the doorway while Ron and Harry caught up to her.

A man and woman were fast asleep beside each other by the window, covered in the same travelling cloak. Harry shrugged, and they all quietly filed into the compartment, shutting the door gently behind them.

"Who do you reckon they are?" Ron asked in a whisper, settling down across from them and eyeing them both.

"RJ Lupin and MJ Lupin," Hermione answered, pointing up to their luggage on the rack above them. Ron furrowed his brow.

"You think they're professors?" he asked. She shrugged.

"They must be. They wouldn't be on the train if they weren't," Harry said quietly, recalling the conversation he'd had with Mr. Weasley before they'd departed. There would be extra security, everywhere. Somehow Harry doubted two sleeping professors were really going to help him much.

Ron perked up at the sound of the food trolley coming down to their compartment.

"Should we get them anything?" he asked as he waved down the cheerful woman pushing the trolley. Harry eyed them both, they were still fast asleep despite the conversation going on around them. He handed Ron a couple of galleons.

"Grab them some sandwiches and pumpkin juice," he answered. Ron obliged, coming back with a mountain of food and setting two sandwiches down and two bottles of pumpkin juice next to the sleeping couple.

"Bit of an age gap between the two of them, don't you think?" Ron commented, unboxing a chocolate frog and admiring the card.

Hermione looked at them both for a moment.

"I suppose so. She's very pretty," she added, admiring the woman's long glistening hair.

"He must be our defense teacher, look at all his scars," Harry added.

The train was coming to a halt, so suddenly it knocked the food from Ron's lap. Hermione looked out the window.

"We're not close to Hogwarts yet, why are we stopping?" she asked, looking around out the window into the darkness. The lamps above them in the compartment dimmed and a cold swept over the whole of the train. Harry got up to check outside the compartment, but the door slid open in front of him before he could touch it. He began to stumble back, holding his head.

The travelling cloak flew off, and while Morgana caught the falling boy, Remus stood up to the dementor standing in the doorway.

"None of is hiding Sirius Black in our cloaks, move on," he commanded. The dementor stood pondering him for a moment.

"You heard him, monster. Be gone!" Morgana stated firmly as she picked Harry up into her arms with ease. The authority of her voice seemed to strike the dementor more deeply, and it began to drift away. Remus turned to Morgana.

"Is he okay?" he asked, eyeing Harry and taking stock of the other two frightened students.

"He will be fine. His heart rate is through the roof but it's slowing. I can handle it here," she answered, placing Harry down in a seat. He was already stirring. Though Remus didn't yet trust her, he needed to alert Dumbledore and check on the rest of the train.

"I'll be right back," Remus said finally.

"I know, dear," she replied with a smile, kneeling down in front of Harry and grabbing the discarded travel cloak. She dug through a pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate from inside. Remus left the room, looking both ways down the aisle for any more dementors before moving to the conductor's cabin.

"What was that?" asked the frightened girl as she hurriedly picked up all the discarded belongings and food that had fallen.

"A dementor, a guardian of Azkaban. They are terrible creatures," Morgana answered, watching Harry carefully as he opened his eyes.

"What happened? Is everyone okay, I heard screaming," he said, trying to stand up. Morgana pushed him gently back down with a hand on his leg.

"No one screamed, Harry," the girl answered. Morgana was breaking off pieces of chocolate. She handed a large piece to Harry and two smaller ones to the others.

"Eat this, it will make you feel better," Morgana stated to him, her hand still on his leg. He looked her in her strange purple eyes for a moment. She smiled a little to him, attempting to pacify his blatant unease. He took a bite of the chocolate, a bit of color returning to his face.

"Thank you, professor," he said, daring to look at her again. She rose, her eyes moving slowly out to the doorway, where Remus appeared a moment later.

"They're off the train and we should be moving again soon," he announced. Morgana handed him a bit of chocolate but he waved it away.

"Everyone in here okay?" he asked, looking at each of the kids eating their chunk of chocolate.

"Eat the chocolate, Remus," Morgana insisted, locking eyes with him. That little twinkle, it forced his hand out and he took a small piece, eating it quickly.

The train began to slowly bustle forward again, and both Remus and Morgana retook their seats. Harry was now sitting beside Morgana, who continued to eye him as he bit into his chocolate.

"So you are professors then?" Hermione asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Morgana glanced at Remus and then to her with a small smile.

"Yes, yes we are. My husband and I will be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts," she answered. Remus smiled weakly, choosing to look out the window as the billowing smoke from the train began to clear. Husband. He didn't want to laugh.

"You must be a Weasley," Morgana added suddenly, looking at Ron. He nodded, a little confused.

"I know your father, from the ministry. Still has a fondness for those muggle trinkets, I'd expect," she explained. Remus looked over to her.

"Oh yeah, he does. Got a cuckoo clock last Christmas he's right obsessed with," Ron answered. Hermione furrowed her brow at Morgana, who merely chuckled a little.

"Professors Remus and Morgana Lupin," she offered her hand to Hermione and Ron, Remus following suit.

"Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley."

Harry offered his hand, she took it quickly.

"Harry Potter."

"I don't think there's anyone in the wizarding world who doesn't know who you are, Mr. Potter," Morgana answered, letting his hand go so Remus could take it. As soon as he let go, Morgana took Remus's hand and laced her fingers in it. His arm stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. He wasn't used to as much physical contact as he'd received from her in the last few hours from anyone in his life.

"Hey!" the compartment door flew open again and two more students flowed in, a red headed girl and a boy with a toad in his hands. They both stopped when they laid eyes on Morgana and Remus.

"Sorry," the boy said, stepping more quietly in and closing the door gingerly.

"What was all that? Why are those things being let on the train?" the young girl asked Hermione while stealing glances at Morgana, who continued to smile pleasantly at the two new additions.

"Ginny, Neville, these are our new Defense professors," Hermione said, letting them shake hands.

"The dementors are going to become an unpleasant fixture at Hogwarts until the ministry is able to find and capture Sirius Black," Remus said, offering to speak finally.

"We'll be arriving soon," Morgana said suddenly, standing and drawing Remus to his feet as well. She motioned above her head, and their luggage disengaged it's locks and began to float to the door. Hermione watched her in awe.

"We'll see you all in a bit," she added, her luggage leading the way out of the compartment together.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry could not help but stare at her and he was not alone. The hall had been abuzz since they'd all settled in, taking in the two new fixtures at the table before them. Morgana had changed into a set of Slytherin alumni robes of a deep green velvet that only brought out her distinct features more. She hid her strange eyes behind a pair of dark rimmed glasses, but their lilac twinkle was still visible behind them. She was speaking quietly to Dumbledore, who nodded every so often. Beside her sat her husband, wearing a set of Gryffindor alumni robes, listening calmly to the conversation. Dumbledore looked down in Harry's direction, and he quickly looked away, his cheeks burning a little. They were no doubt talking about his fainting spell on the train. He just wanted to forget about it, not to hear the echo of the screams in his ears anymore.

"Wouldn't have pegged her for a Slytherin," Ron said, much like the rest of the male Gryffindor house still staring shamelessly up at the table.

"You couldn't have pegged her at all, Ron," Seamus shot back. Ron flushed and Hermione huffed.

"How crude, she's a professor you know!"

"Only crude if you're a prude, Granger," Dean answered back.

Hermione turned away from the two of them, focusing instead on the Sorting of the first years. Each Slytherin selection got a gentle clap from Morgana Lupin as well as Professor Snape, who sat uncomfortably on Remus' side. Each Gryffindor selection got a clap from both Morgana and Remus. At the end of the sorting, Dumbledore stood and waited for the applause to die down.

"Good evening, welcome and welcome back! For the newest of us, and for those who may need a gentle reminding, the forest at the edge of the grounds is off limits to all students. And it is with great pleasure I introduce to you your newest Professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Hogwarts alumni, Professors Remus and Morgana Lupin!"

The two of them stood together, garnering a resounding and almost competitive applause from both Slytherin and Gryffindor houses. They held hands, just visible at the base of the table between them as they gave gentle waves to their respective houses. This sent a resounding ripple of conversation throughout the hall as the food appeared and the feast began.

"She's got to be a very powerful witch to be able to do wandless magic," Hermione said, mostly to Harry because Ron was embroiled in a Morgana heavy discussion with Dean and Seamus.

"Is it very hard? I mean, we do it as kids, right?" Harry replied, looking around at the food but putting little of it on his plate.

"We do it recklessly, unintentionally. To be able to harness magic like she does is amazing. I can't wait to learn from her."

"Get in line, Hermione. Teacher's pet applications are full already," Ginny said a bit sourly, motioning to the boys around them with her fork of mashed potatoes. If they weren't staring at her, they were talking about her.

"I've got it. Love potion. Must be a love potion," Ron announced excitedly, drawing everyone's attention to him "There's no other way he could've bagged a bird like that," he added in a tone that indicated he'd also solved global hunger.

"You know, a personality counts for something as well, Ron. Something you'd do to improve upon if you wanted to stand a chance yourself," Hermione shot back, her and Ginny both glaring at Ron.

Harry looked up at her, she was drinking from a goblet with very little food on her plate. She was looking at her husband as he spoke with Hagrid, their hands still together under the table. Her gaze suddenly was on him, their eyes met. He felt warm, like a candle was hovering close to his face. Her lashes flittered for a moment, and she quickly turned back to the conversation, laughing at something Hagrid had said. Harry shook his head a bit, trying to shake off the sudden heat he'd felt. Had he just imagined that? It had been so quick, those purple eyes bearing down on his green ones. She was something else. He didn't dare look at her the rest of the night, and he was the only one.


	4. Chapter 4

His left foot tapped a slow rhythm on the cobblestone beneath it, awaiting her arrival with the class. Remus allowed himself a small smile while he thought about her. Morgana, despite their first meeting being incredibly tense, was a surprisingly light-hearted and true to her name, kind person. She had even done so much as to scour the castle and find them the spectacle he'd be showing their students today.

She opened the staff room door slowly, allowing everyone to file in before her and pool hesitantly around the entrance.

"Good afternoon," Remus began with a patient smile "my wife was here in the staff lounge when she spotted this old wardrobe cabinet, and we determined what was inside it would be a great practical lesson for you all. Would anyone like to venture a guess at what's inside?"

Not even Hermione raised her hand. Morgana laughed a little, drawing a smile from Remus despite himself.

"Mr. Longbottom, please step forward," Remus motioned for Neville, who was in the absolute back of the class. Morgana took his shaking shoulders and walked him forward, whispering something to him that made him shake only slightly less.

"Mr. Longbottom, what are you most afraid of?" Remus asked. Neville looked from him to Morgana and muttered something no one else in the class could hear. Morgana stifled a giggle by clearing her throat.

"A bit louder for the sake of the class, Neville," she said.

"P-p-p-Professor Snape," he repeated, releasing a shower of laughter from the Slytherin group.

"He is rather unpleasant," Morgana added with a shrug and a wink to Remus, who himself bit his lip to avoid laughing.

"Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what we are doing here with Mr. Longbottom?" He asked.

Now Hermione's hand shot up, so quickly that Harry had to side step to avoid it.

"It must be a boggart you've got in the wardrobe. A creature that transforms into your worst fears," she said excitedly. Neville gulped.

"Correct, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, Neville, I want you to picture something else for me. Your grandmother. What does she wear?"

Another string of giggles came through the group.

"She wears this fur shawl, and a hat with a bird on it," he described, now thoroughly confused. Morgan was trying incredibly hard not to laugh now, taking up next to Remus, ready for the show.

"When I release the boggart, he is going to take the form of yours and many others worst fear, Professor Snape. I want you to picture your grandmother's wardrobe, as clearly in your mind as you can and say 'riddikulus'. Sound good, Neville?" Morgana asked, her kind eyes holding on his until he seemed to relax enough that his wand stopped shooting little sparks from the end of it.

"Ready?" asked Remus. Neville nodded, and Morgana snapped her fingers, opening the doors of the cabinet.

A very angry looking Professor Snape stepped out of the wardrobe, looking around with malice at the class. Morgana was watching Neville carefully as he shakingly raised his wand.

"Riddikulus!"

A raucous of laughter erupted as Boggart Snape had donned a mint green dressing gown and fur shawl, a large vulture hat perched upon his greasy locks. The boggart shifted uncomfortably in it's new wardrobe.

"Great job, Mr. Longbottom, another ten points to Gryffindor! Next up!" Remus called, and Neville stepped back, smiling and laughing with the class.

Each person in turn made the boggart into their worst fear and promptly a hilarious version of it. By midway through, Morgana and Remus were laughing along with everyone. Hermione and Ron both performed well, adding to the chorus of laughter. Harry had been so wrapped up in the positive energy in the group he didn't notice Remus had stopped laughing. He stepped forward, ready to face a boggart dementor as soon as it shifted.

Morgana was suddenly in front of him, shielding him from the boggart, who promptly contorted into an image of herself. Boggart Morgana bore a strange golden crown on her head, her dark black hair was flowing as though in a wind. She was wearing a set of dark robes with a red embroidered pattern on the front, staring un-smiling back at the real Morgana with a set of dark, almost black eyes. The real Morgana held out her palm as though asking the boggart to dance with her.

"Riddikulus!" she stated, the boggart now thoroughly battered by all the shapeshifting could no longer decide what to be, and Remus seized the opportunity to banish it back to the cabinet.

"Professor Snape was already taken, so…" Morgana said with a small laugh, patting Neville on the shoulder.

"That'll do it for today. Good job everyone!" Remus called, and the class slowly departed from the room. Harry lingered, the feeling of being cheated an opportunity making him fold his brow in frustration.

"Professor," he began, and Morgana turned toward him.

"Sorry, Harry," she said, closing her right fist and drawing tables and chairs back into position along the room. Remus was moving the cabinet back to a dusty corner on the far end. She pulled the door behind Harry open with her hand.

"You'll be first in line for the next practical, we promise," she added, gently ushering him through the doorway. Before he could argue, the door closed behind him.

"You were wrong, you know," she said after a few moments of furniture arranging silence. Remus didn't look at her.

"I don't pretend to be all knowing. Just cautious," he responded, attempting to sound as neutral as possible, drawing the curtains on the windows for something to do besides look at her.

"He doesn't fear Voldemort. He fears dementors. He fears fear itself. His age, so damn smart. Can you imagine that?"

He didn't answer. He found himself feeling a bit annoyed with her. She was beautiful, even as she sat upon the staff table watching him. She radiated light. But she was always stepping on his toes, making sure everything was taken care of for him before he could even speak the suggestion to her. The nagging craving for solitude bit at him now more than ever.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want them to see the full moon and think anything of you," she said finally, watching him pain to find anything to rearrange at this point.

" And you think no one will notice your greatest fear is your royal self?" he retorted before he could think better of it.

"That wasn't me. That will never be me," she answered quietly, pushing herself off the table. He kept his back to her, though he could find nothing else in the staff room to fix or dust at this point. She stood still for a moment, looking at him across the room, and chose to take her leave. Whether it was because she could feel his need to be alone or she wanted it herself, he did not know. But she didn't join him for the rest of his classes, and he found himself exactly as alone as he had wanted to be.

"That's good news."

Morgana sat cross legged on the floor of their shared office, talking to her house elf Freddo eye to eye. He nodded humbly in response.

"Your majesty would be pleased to hear that we are now stocking Wolfsbane potion in troves, and the council have just completed a newcomer's orientation," he continued happily.

"How many this time?" Morgana asked, her tone dropping.

"3, all children, and we believe all have the same sire," he answered. Morgana sighed, and opened her mouth to speak when a knock on the office door startled her.

"Dismissed," she said, standing quickly. With a small pop, Freddo was gone.

She shuffled to the door quietly, opening it slightly to the grumpy face of Severus Snape. He held a steaming goblet in his hand, eyeing her with great annoyance.

"Good evening, Severus," she said, a small smirk playing on her face.

"Your majesty," he replied stiffly with a slight bow that seemed to come off rather sarcastic. She smirked.

"How many times do you want me to apologize for the boggart thing, Severus? It isn't my fault the poor boy thinks you're frightening. You should be honored to strike that kind of fear into the hearts of the young minds under your care," she added, her smirk widening a bit. He continued to stare stiffly down at her, trying not to meet her gaze. When she realized she wasn't going to get any more out of him, she held out her hand for the goblet. He thrust it into her hands, the contents swishing a bit.

"Did you add a sprig of peppermint for taste, as I requested? It bothers me watching him struggle to drink this," she asked as Severus turned away to leave. He stopped, as though debating heavily how to respond, and turned back around.

"Of course, your majesty. Anything for the king," he said sweeping into another deep sarcastic bow. She laughed, shutting the door slowly and turning back toward the fire. Freddo had gone, and Remus Lupin was standing on the spot he had been, his arms folded across his chest.

"I suppose I should crown you then. Gold with rubies or silver with topaz?" she joked, holding out the goblet.

"You didn't have to add anything to this. It's a very complex potion and I'm sure Severus has enough on his plate as it is," he said as he took it. He was quite visibly frustrated with her still, though at the same time some small piece of him was happy to see her again. She folded her arms back at him as he drank, refusing to admit how much the peppermint did help with the taste.

"You treat receiving medical care like a privilege. It is not. You have every right to live as comfortable a life as anyone else. And it's not that strenuous to add a sprig of peppermint, so come off it," she added tersely. He set the goblet down on the office desk beside him.

"If this charade is going to work, I need you to stop rummaging through my threadbare book of a mind. I appreciate your quick reaction today and all your help in general, but I enjoy my privacy, which is also not a privilege."

She closed her eyes at him, and reopened them staring at the floor.

"You are correct. I apologize," she said, sparing him no glance "I can't help some of it, but I will stop what I can help."

"And as for the previous question, gold with rubies suits me better," he added with a smile. She looked up at him, and he expected a laugh but her face was different. She closed the gap between them in a blur and wrapped her arms around him. That small electric shock of unaccustomed human touch he'd become familiar with subsided to a warm, uncomfortable fluttering panicked feeling in his stomach he was also not used to. He struggled for words, and she held tighter around him, so he reciprocated. He could feel raised skin along her back, and before he could consider the repercussion his fingers expanded along her back to touch the familiar feel of scar tissue. It led down from the middle part of her back, four jagged lines down to her tailbone. She took in a sharp breath when he touched the end of the line he'd traced and he recoiled, releasing her with a flush rapidly filling his face. She stepped back from him, her face unreadable.

"Sorry," they both said at the same time, then both shook each other off of an apology. Morgana smiled a bit but her it didn't seem to reach her eyes, which sparkled at him like they were filled with stars, more likely tears.

"If I may be honest, this charade, as you put it, has been the least lonely I've felt in a very long time. We tend to isolate, all of us, because we wish not to burden others with who we are. I am many things and all of them are hard to handle. Hence the vacancy of the throne beside mine. It has been nice to share a bit of my life with someone I consider a hero," she said, her sparkling eyes like a dam holding back the Milky Way staring hopefully into his.

"I am no hero," Remus answered back, unsure of how he should truly address the rest of what she'd said. It was all true. He'd spent the majority of his life before and after school isolating himself, and learning to be accepting of the silence.

"But you are. You made a life out here, among the wizards, and you didn't hide. Look at you right now, teaching at Hogwarts. You are what I can tell the Sanctuary kids to aspire to be when they grow up, the only thing they want to be. Normal."

He couldn't speak. The dam had let way, she had two single tears streaming down the sides of her beautiful face, down the smile on it that she quickly wiped away.

"The Sanctuary of Moon is my life. Caring for the kids and fostering their growth is my life. We are vampires caring for werewolves. So in turn, not because you need it because you do not, I care for you to the best of my ability. Including harassing Severus into putting peppermint into your potions so they aren't as godawful to drink. I don't want to see you in pain. I'd never want to."

She wasn't making speech any easier a concept for Remus. She was slowly closing the gap between them again, and she took his arms and put them once more around her waist, his hands now touching her bare skin under her top. Her hands found the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, her lips touched his so softly that the shock was more of a tingle that seemed to reverberate through his entire body.

"Is this okay?" she whispered against his still unmoving lips. Remus tried his best to grasp the control he'd spent so many years perfecting. Of course this wasn't okay, they were supposed to be starting their patrol of the school soon, while the students were at the Halloween feast. There were lesson plans he needed to go over with her for the week he'd be recovering from the full moon and she'd be teaching on her own. But for some reason none of these things seemed as important as the overpowering need to kiss her that filled his mind and made everything else murky. The control, the years of careful isolation from any human connection to anyone fell away as he answered her by pulling her body into his and kissing her hard. It had been so many years since the last time he'd done this, he felt a childish nervousness that he couldn't possibly be doing this correctly. The warm feeling in his stomach fluttered like mad, and she pulled herself up onto her toes as they continued to kiss until they had no breath left between them. She laid her forehead on his shoulder, laughing breathlessly at the rapid beating of his heart. He couldn't help but feel embarrassment creeping up on him; he felt like a teenager all over again.

"I have not done that in a long time," he said quietly, trying to make sure he had his excuse ready for a terrible performance.

"Everything still works alright it seems, despite the rust," she answered, glancing down for a second with a smirk. He stepped back from her, an even grander red filling his face.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking away.

"I'd be more offended if you hadn't," she replied with another laugh, stepping forward to close the gap again.

"They say practice makes perfect, Professor," she added, grabbing him again.

The door burst open behind them, a Gryffindor prefect wheezing and clutching his chest.

"Professors… Gryffindor tower… been attacked…. help!" he wheezed, finally looking up to see what he'd intruded upon.


	5. Chapter 5

The portrait had been slashed down the middle, the jagged lower part of the canvas peeled over flapping uselessly. The Fat Lady could be heard a few portraits over, screaming and crying behind an ornately painted table. It seemed Morgana and Remus had been the first two faculty to arrive, as the sea of students parted for them both to the front of the portrait.

"I suppose there should be someone in this portrait, where are you?" Morgana called out, the Fat Lady making a heaving breathless gasp as she continued to cry a few portraits down.

"Inconsolable!" shouting down from a sconce at the uppermost part of the tower was Peeves the Poltergeist, who swung down like Tarzan to become eye level with Morgana.

"She's a right mess, I saw the whole thing! Poor girl," he continued in a voice of the utmost mocking concern. Morgana's eyes narrowed at Peeves, who came to attention like a soldier. A few students gasped, having now seen two great shocks. No one could control Peeves, much less make him respectful. Peeves' eyes were darting around wildly as he stood frozen in a salute.

"Who did this?" Remus asked Peeves.

"It was Sirius Black, right nasty temper he's got. Slashed the portrait to bits when the Fat Lady wouldn't let him through," Peeves answered, and was released immediately. He stuck his tongue out at Morgana and flew back up to his sconce. They had since been joined by the heads of each Hogwarts house as well as Dumbledore. His face was unreadable for a moment, then he clapped his hands together.

"Heads of house, gather your students in the Great Hall. We will all sleep there tonight, while the school is searched by our other Professors."

Remus and Morgana looked to each other, surely both feeling the same disastrous shame. They took to the stairwell ahead of the Gryffindors, catching up with Dumbledore quickly.

"Headmaster, I apologize. I am the reason we were not patrolling the school on time as we should have been. I was finalizing plans for the community and-" Morgana began, but Dumbledore quickly stopped her.

"It is quite alright, Morgana. Your commitment to being here coupled with your commitments elsewhere are enough to make anyone lose track of time. If you wouldn't mind making contact with your scout out in the Forbidden forest," he added, motioning to the door to the grounds outside. Morgana nodded, gone in a flash with the door closing silently behind her.

"Remus, a word," Dumbledore said, his tone challenging to read.

"Of course," Remus answered, meeting Dumbledore's eyes a bit nervously.

"You can account for Morgana during the last hour, correct? As she can account for you?" he asked, and although it was an entirely innocent question, Remus did his best not to recount the last hour of his life as he answered.

"We were in our office, I was going over next weeks syllabus. Severus dropped off my potion, saw us both," he added. Dumbledore nodded.

"Rest assured, I do not doubt either one of you. But seeing as you both have the closest connections to Sirius, I needed to ask."

Remus looked at him blankly. Of course, he knew his connection to Sirius. But he didn't know Morgana had one too. Dumbledore smiled a little ruefully.

"I never did explain why we sought her out, did I? Or why I brought you and Severus with me. Morgana Fawley was an Auror-in-training under the tutelage of Alastor Moody when the Potters were killed, she captured and placed Sirius under arrest for the murder of Peter Pettigrew."

Morgana Fawley. Auror Fawley. Remus recalled reading the articles with her name, trudging up the blurry images of Sirius laughing maniacally as he was carted away by a young Auror. Remus had taken great pains to stash those memories far back into his mind.

"I recalled reading her name in the paper. I didn't know she was an Auror," he replied.

"I'd assume those topics are not the most pleasant for her to trudge up," Dumbledore said, "I brought you and Severus along with me to show her that she would be welcomed among my staff without judgement or fear. You especially were important for me to bring. I had hoped that she would connect with you."

Remus stuffed down a cough. They had done more than connect. Dumbledore looked past him up to the opening door. Morgana slipped through and approached, looking defeated.

"Nothing to report, Headmaster. My scout saw no one come or go from the forest in the last 24 hours," she said, looking to Remus. Dumbledore nodded, scratching his beard in thought.

"They have my thanks for keeping watch. If you'll excuse me, I need to get the Great Hall ready to accommodate the students. Thank you both, and goodnight," he turned to leave.

"You don't need us to patrol?" Morgana asked after him.

"Sirius Black is no fool. He is no longer on the grounds," he replied before continuing down the hall. Morgana turned to Remus.

"I am very sorry. That before, that was my fault. We have a job to do and I am acting like a silly schoolgirl," she said, shaking her head. Remus felt at a loss. As much as he had enjoyed what they had shared, it could have been entirely possible that they would've run into Sirius during that time. They could have ended this whole thing here and now, sent him back where he belonged.

"You weren't the only one who lost track of time, Morgana. Dumbledore is right. He's gone now."

"You don't understand, Remus. I made a promise to Dumbledore to protect Harry and this school and if I do not…" she trailed off, looking incredibly distressed. Her hand found the silver chain around her neck and she felt it for a moment before looking up at him.

"I didn't know you were the one who arrested him all those years ago. I imagine his escape is a bit of a personal slight to you," he said. Her eyes narrowed, darkening a bit.

"No, no it isn't. In fact I saw it as a bit of justice. At least, for me," she added coldly. Before he could reply, a trove of sleepy-faced Ravenclaw students appeared from a nearby hallway, lead by Professor Flitwick. He looked at them both curiously for a moment, motioning for his students to continue with him down the hall.

"We should go," Morgana said, quickly passing through the group. He followed her, intent on continuing the conversation in their office.

"What do you mean by that, a bit of justice?" He asked as soon as the office door closed behind them both. She shook her head, choosing to stare at the fire as it dwindled.

"He was one of my best friends, you know that, right? He is the reason all my other best friends are dead. I'm not happy he's out, and I can't see why-"

"-I'm not happy he's free, Remus! I swore on my soul to catch him! My soul! Do you know that when you make a promise as a vampire, it's for your humanity? Do you know that's what you witnessed that night when Dumbledore and I shook hands? No, of course not because you are altogether incredibly ignorant of the ways of your people!" she shouted back at him, her chest heaving with anger. He knew he'd earned it, he'd kept pressing an issue Dumbledore had just said she wouldn't be fond of talking about.

"I said it was justice because they have to acknowledge me, and what they did to me, because my one arrest escaped Azkaban. I visited him a few times, after the… incident that changed me. So of course they came pounding on the door of my sanctuary, at least twenty ministry officials, Minister himself too. I came to the gate myself, looked Cornelius Fudge straight in the eye and slammed the gate in his face. Not nearly enough comeuppance for him. I swear I could've…" she bore her sharp fangs for moment, her eyes were dark, and stopped, clutching the chain on her necklace again and rubbing it methodically. She shook her head, looking back into the dwindling fire as she twisted the chain of the necklace. He could see now on the end of it was a pale stone that seemed to glow against her skin.

"I didn't know you shook on your soul with Dumbledore. I didn't know vampires had souls," he admitted, feeling entirely awful now.

"They don't. When you feed, when you kill humans, it tears apart. You lose it altogether eventually and you can never go back. I don't consume human blood, I don't kill; therefore my soul is mostly intact. I intend to keep it that way."

She let the chain go, the small glowing stone falling out of view again. So that had been who her worst fear was, herself without a soul. He sighed.

"I made a slightly less life altering promise to him too, to protect Harry. So, we're on the same team."

"And I could not have asked for a better teammate," she replied with a small, sad smile. She pushed her hair behind her ear, looking up at him. Even sad, frustrated, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"We'd better get to bed, go over those lesson plans in the morning," she said finally. He nodded, moving forward toward her and to his room. She grabbed his hand, and quickly kissed him, disappearing into her room all in the same moment. He stayed smiling in the office for a little while before dousing the fire and turning in.


	6. Chapter 6

She was holding on to him much tighter than she needed to. The air was bitingly cold but she'd procured him both a scarf and a knit cap to wear, even emblazoned it with a Gryffindor lion on the front of both. She herself sported Slytherin, though they weren't playing.

"I won't keel over, you know," he said, though he didn't mind her being close to him as they walked along with groups of students out to the quidditch pitch.

"I don't think you should be out at all, Remus," she replied, gripping him a bit tighter, and she was right. He was still weak, though it wasn't nearly as painful as it normally was with the regular potions he took. His body ached in the cold, and it was a relief to have her help.

"Professor Lupin, glad you're feeling better!" a passing group of students called as they passed. He smiled gently and waved.

"They adore you, you know. Not a single day I don't get asked how you're doing," she commented. He laughed a little. They wouldn't be as nice if they knew what made him so ill.

"I still think they like you better," he answered, noting a throng of male students passing slowly by them both, unusually quiet as they passed. She laughed too.

They took seats in the Gryffindor section, a few rows above the students so they could keep an eye on everything. The weather was cold, but the sky was mostly clear, decent conditions for quidditch.

"Harry approached me today, asked me why the professors and prefects were following him everywhere," she said, settling a blanket over their laps and taking his hand in hers.

"What did you tell him?"

"Well," she looked out at the pitch where the teams were gathering below, then back to him "I told him the truth, because he already knew. The Weasley family already told him Black was after him. I figured there was no harm in him knowing, and that it might make him a bit more cautious," she added.

"Well, if he's anything like James, cautious isn't in his vocabulary," he replied, leaning into her a bit as the whistle blew and the game began. They watched Harry fly high up above them on the pitch, scanning methodically for the snitch.

"Do you think he's a lot like James?" she asked after a bit.

"He looks exactly like him. It's a little unnerving sometimes, the resemblance. He's got James' talent on the field, that much I can tell."

The weather seemed to grow colder by the minute. Morgana could feel it before anyone, there was something in the air. Something different. Remus' whole body ached something fierce, he began to feel like it hadn't been a good idea to be out. He felt a little dizzy, light-headed, and tried to shake himself out of it and focus on the field. The players zoomed by in blurs, making it hard to focus on anything. He could see what must have been Harry still perched unmoving high above the field.

"Remus, something's wrong."

Her voice sounded frantic but he couldn't seem to focus on what she was pointing at. He squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them in time to see the cloud of dementors eclipsing the sky above the field. The weather had turned dark, thunderous, and the cold that stole over everything was making it hard to breath. It took everything in Remus to stand, draw his wand, and shout, thinking of the woman standing next to him.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The wolf erupted from his wand, followed by her raven, a cat, a phoenix, a beaver, a stallion, and a doe; all charged headlong into the sea of dementors surrounding the now unconscious Harry barely holding on to his broomstick. He fell, hurdling lifelessly to the ground while his broom swept away uncontrollably in the wind. Dumbledore was on the pitch in an instant, his wand held up to halt Harry just before he hit the ground. Remus could feel himself fading, and Morgana caught him quickly before it could go noticed by anyone, his patronus and hers disappearing amongst the group as the dementors cleared away.

She sat him down, holding both sides of his face in her hands. He could see her worried eyes staring back into his, and he took a deep surprisingly warm breath.

"You were right. I should not be out," he said finally, garnering a small smile from him.

"Welcome to married life, Mr. Lupin. I am always right," she replied with a small laugh, kissing him gently. As weak as he felt, he couldn't resist smiling. As weak as he had been, the thought of her had given him the strength to produce a full-fledged patronus. As weak as he was, he was still smiling for her.

Morgana sat beside Remus in the infirmary at Harry's bedside, Remus taking small sips of a concoction Madam Pomfrey was adamant he try. It warmed him a bit, but did nothing for his utter exhaustion. Harry awoke with a start, looking to the both of them.

"What happened?" he asked. Morgana looked toward Hermione and Ron seated on his other side.

"Well… listen Harry it wasn't your fault, the dementors had no right to be there and… and…" Hermione had trouble continuing, setting a bundled up Gryffindor flag at Harry's feet.

"Listen, Hufflepuff got the snitch, but Cedric didn't realize what had happened and he tried to take it back. Wood didn't want a rematch though," Ron continued on Hermione's dejected path.

"Did someone at least get my broom?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione both looked at each other, mentally drawing the short straw on who would tell him. Hermione sighed.

"Harry, your broom flew away and we couldn't stop it. It… it flew into the Whomping Willow," she finished, unravelling the balled up flag to show Harry the bits of his broom they'd managed to scrape up. If he hadn't felt utterly defeated already, he was now.

"Dumbledore was furious about the dementors coming onto the pitch, he's had hard words with them already and-"

"-please, Hermione. I'd just like to rest for a bit," he said, stopping her. They both nodded solemnly, rising from their seats and gathering the bits of broomstick up in the bundle and leaving quietly. Morgana stood too, lifting Remus with her gently.

"Feel better, Harry," she said, looping her arm in Remus'.

"Professors, wait," he said, looking to them both hesitantly "I… I saw the spells you both used to get the dementors away. Can you teach me?"

Morgana looked up at Remus, who in turn looked down at her.

"It's a little bit beyond third year requirements, but I think we can manage a few lessons," Remus said, no doubt looking down at the replica of James with high sympathies.

"You'll have to wait, though, until after the holidays. My husband is still quite ill, he should not have even been out today," Morgana said, a bit more realistic. Harry nodded, his defeated look lessening a bit.

"Professor, have you ever heard of The Grim?" he asked, looking more at Morgana. She startled a bit, to Remus' great surprise.

"Why ever would you… is Trelawney filling your head with nonsense about a great untimely death? Harry, she's a nut. An acorn fresh plucked from the tree," she replied indignantly. Remus couldn't help but laugh a little at her glare, as though it would travel all the way up to the Astronomy tower and pierce Trelawney's heart of it's own volition.

"We will teach you to conjure the best patronus we can," she said, offering her hand to Harry. He shook it, though it didn't conjure the same warm glow her handshake with Dumbledore had, Remus felt it was the same type of promise.

They made their way back to the office quietly, the whole of the castle deserted.

"You need rest," Morgana stated as she closed the door behind them both.

"I don't disagree. Thank you for taking care of me, yet again," he said, leaning on the desk as he spoke. She shook her head a bit.

"What else is a fake wife good for?" she joked, closing the space between them.

"I suppose we are doing things a little backwards here," he reached out his free arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her into him and settling into a warm embrace.

"Before I go, you don't need any help with tomorrow's-" a loud pop cut him off, and they both turned to see Freddo standing in front of the fireplace. He cleared his throat, though a bit late to announce his presence.

"My queen, and her suitor," he added, eyeing Remus scar by scar as was his custom "there is a small emergency that requires your immediate attention at home."

Morgana broke away from Remus instantly, throwing open her bedroom door. She dashed in and was back in a flash, throwing on her Sanctuary robes.

"What's going on?"

"My queen, one of our teenage wards has refused to take his wolfsbane potion and escaped into the forest. We have attempted to locate him but so far our efforts have been fruitless. We worry he may have been… compromised," he stated, still eyeing Remus as he spoke.

"I have to go," she said to Remus, who nodded. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, drawing a small raise of Freddo's eyebrows. She took Freddo by the hand with a louder pop was gone.

"Severus."

Snape took his time sweeping up the remnants of a broken glass vial in his classroom before looking up at the obviously angry Morgana.

"Yes, my queen?" he replied, his deep sarcastic bow making her eye twitch with fury.

"Do you think you're funny?"

"No. I take great care to strike fear into the hearts of the young minds under my care, or so I've been told," he replied coldly, straightening up and sending the bits of glass flying into a receptacle near his desk. Just as they clattered into the metal bin, he was bombarded with flying rolls of parchment. He ducked, avoiding most of them the first go but they had been enchanted and came zooming back at him instantly. He ducked again, catching the heading on one 'Werewolves: Identification and Wizarding Law'.

He snatched his wand and countered her charm, the lot of them dropping along his desk and scattering his own paperwork.

"Are you out of your mind?" he asked as he stood up, brushing himself off and swishing his wand to reorganize his paperwork.

"Are you? What kind of man are you supposed to be, death eater? That you would show such malice toward someone who has done nothing to you."

"Ah, too 'under the weather' to speak for himself so he sends his darling wife to fight his battles for him," Snape replied lazily, gathering the rolls of Werewolf parchment by wand and letting them fall one by one into a cauldron-less fire a few feet from him. She seethed, an almost hiss-like sound. He smirked. He may have been afraid in her world, but they both knew that Hogwarts was neutral ground and beyond being battered with parchment she could do nothing to him .

"I haven't told him what you've done. I leave for one day, put faith in you like a fool to teach our class, and this is what you give us in return? Tell me, Severus, what has he ever done to you, to anyone for that matter? You can dislike me 'til Kingdom Come, but don't you take a single measure of that out on my husband," as she finished, still seething with dark eyes, she realized her words and his widening smirk.

"Remus Lupin, king of the werewolves," he mused with a laugh, looking just past her. Her fists clenched angrily, tiny red sparks igniting from them.

"You will NEVER teach my class again, do you hear me? Never. And you had best believe Dumbledore will hear of this," she managed through grit, fanged teeth. Snape could see a glow permeating through her dress shirt just above her heart. He wondered for a moment how much further he could push her before she went over the edge? Two birds, one stone.

"I humbly accept my punishment, my queen," he opened his arms wide, giving her a target. He locked eyes with her. In an instant he was against the wall of his classroom, her hand on his neck, her nails digging into his skin. Her eyes were jet black, bearing down on his.

"I have killed only one man in my life, believe it or not. He was a death eater too. Something about that ink Voldemort brands you with, it makes every drop of your blood taste like it. Ironic, that he taints the precious coveted pure blood of his death eaters. You're not pure blood though are you, Severus? I can smell the difference. And no, I am not threatening you. I am more of a promise-maker. If you hurt Remus, if you out him, I promise you will pay for it," she spoke in a seething, hissing whisper that drove him into the same panic he'd felt when he'd arrived at the Sanctuary, her eyes locked onto his. She was doing this, forcing this feeling in him, flipping on the switch. He felt paralyzed, like prey ready for capture. He could feel a burning sensation on his sternum but he couldn't form any words, a shout, a whimper. He was trapped.

In the same instant, she was back where she stood in the doorway, staring at him curiously.

"Severus? Are you alright?" she asked. He looked around wildly. He was still standing where he had been, his arms still outstretched, painfully now. There was no burning pain, though he clutched at his chest recalling the echo of it. He realized, cursing himself, he'd forgotten the chief rule of dealing with vampires. Never make eye contact.

"Never make either of the mistakes you have again, Severus, and we will have no further to discuss with one another," she said, slamming the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

It pervaded his thoughts quite distractedly, more often than ever, just how strange it felt that Remus Lupin was a married man. He'd barely ever considered himself a man at all, but even as he watched her working alongside Ron Weasley, trying to show him the curse they'd been practicing, her light smile and kind reassurance; all he truly hoped was that he could be a worthy enough one for such a wonderful woman. And that was the thought, wasn't it? That despite the fact that they were only playing house, it felt like home to him. She felt like home.

"Professor Lupin?"

Hermione Granger's hand shot up in the air just before the end of class. Remus looked up from his desk, Morgana from her place on the other side of the room now looking after a Slytherin girl's work.

"Yes, Miss Granger," he said. She shook her head, smiling a little awkwardly. Morgana smiled a bit, straightening up so she could see Hermione from across the room.

"Yes?" she said.

"Professor, I was wondering when we'd receive back our essays," she asked, though Morgana could tell her curiosity was only the surface emotion on display.

"Essays? You're not the homework type," Remus turned to her, also curious. Morgana smiled a bit wider, though it seemed incredibly strained.

"During our absence, dear, Professor Snape found it to be especially prudent to teach a subject not on our curriculum and assign an essay for it, which I will be giving all students full points for even if they did not find the time in their busy, busy schedules to complete it," she stated firmly, drawing Hermione back into her chair with the too pleasant smile focusing back on her.

"What was the essay on?" he asked Hermione, knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of Morgana by the strained look on her face.

"Werewolves, sir," Hermione answered quietly. His eyebrows perked up for a moment and he laughed.

"Is that so? Well, I suppose you'll all be adequately prepared for your OWLs in two years on that subject, then. Everyone, have a good holiday!"

The students rose up and bounded from class quickly, though Harry lingered as he often did.

"Harry, will the Sunday after Hogsmeade work for you, for those extra lessons? I'll be a bit late on some business myself but you'll have my much more capable half," she asked after the boy bent over his notes jotting down a last bit of information. He looked up at her with a small, unconvincing smile.

"That'd be fine, Professor. Thank you both for taking the time," he said, finishing his notes and quickly stowing the last of his possessions into his bag, including his wand.

"Never do that," Morgana said sharply, Remus jolted from the seat he'd just taken and drew his wand as though Sirius Black had just entered through the doorway. Harry froze, staring at her quite bewildered.

"Always have your wand on you. Always ready. Ante victoriam. Paratos esse," she continued in the same tone, her eyes squared in on him intensely. He looked for a moment at Remus, who had inadvertently been a prime example of her words; he stowed his wand back into his inner robe pocket, watching her.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"It's the Auror code of ethics. Before victory, be ready. She doesn't mean any harm by it," Remus added quickly. Morgana straightened up a bit, looking away from Harry, who grabbed his wand and mimicked Remus.

"Dumbledore told us a bit about what you've been through the last couple of years here. I just want you to know that, though we are here to protect you, all of you, you need to be as ready as we are to protect yourself," she said. Harry thought for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. Thank you, Professors. Have a good holiday," he said, throwing his bag over his shoulder and leaving quickly.

"Everything alright?" Remus asked as soon as they were alone.

"I just saw something. I wasn't looking, it jumped out at me. That boy carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and he's just a child. He's so scared, but at the same time so brave. There's a battle going on in him every second. It's very overwhelming," she replied, leaning back on a desk.

"Exactly why we'll do all we can to help him," he answered. She nodded, far off in thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Ron and Hermione both pushed Harry down under the table at the Three Broomsticks, watching their teachers file in and take seat at a large table nearby. Remus Lupin pulled out a seat for Morgana and took the one next to it, Hagrid taking up on her other side, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick across from them.

"Rubeus, I do truly wish I could be of more help about this Buckbeak case. I can still offer him asylum with me, you know the ministry has no ground in my kingdom," Morgana said. Hagrid shook his head, looking down at her.

"Can't let 'im go, though. They'll know I freed 'im and send me back to Azkaban. I won't do another stay with them dementors. Bad enough they're floating about the grounds already," he said, taking a huge mug set down by their waitress and taking a hearty swig.

"We are quite glad you're both here regardless," McGonagall said, raising her glass to her before taking a drink.

"Dumbledore thought we'd be a good deterrent for Black, but that doesn't seem to be working to his imagination," Morgana replied, taking Remus' hand under the table.

"Well, I see his logic. The Auror who arrested him, and one of his best friends from childhood, here to guard Potter. You both have great stake in this," she said with another smaller sip of her drink. Harry nearly leapt from under the table at that but felt Hermione shifting to block him with her leg.

"Harry doesn't know much more about Black than what you told him, right Minerva?" Remus asked, doing a once over of the noisy pub as he spoke.

"No, I don't think so. Not sure how he'd take it all, honestly," McGonagall answered as the waitress returned with Remus and Morgana's drinks. Morgana lifted her mug and sniffed the steaming liquid gingerly, her eyes locked onto the waitress until she left.

"He's sturdier a kid than you think, I feel like it'd motivate him to know," Morgana said, taking a drink from the steaming mug. Flitwick made a strange face for a moment as she drank, which she chose not to notice.

"I imagine he has to be, all the boy has been through. I just don't think it's necessary to tell him why Black is after him," McGonagall continued. Remus shrugged.

"Can't imagine how we'd put it. Well Harry, Sirius Black sold your parents to Voldemort. Also, he's technically your godfather. Have a good holiday," he said, lifting his mug of butter beer.

Harry did hit the table this time, drawing Morgana's eyes around toward the large Christmas tree they were hiding behind.

"I hate to bring it all up, but I still never understood why. You, Sirius, Peter, and James were inseparable in school. I would never have imagined he'd… and poor little Peter, never stood a chance…" McGonagall trailed off, looking sadly at Remus. He cleared his throat a little, leaning forward a bit to the table.

"It was a subject of heavy debate, who would be their Secret Keeper. They ended up on Sirius, even over Dumbledore himself. I couldn't tell you why he did it, I still don't understand it myself," he said, his face stone-like. Morgana shook her head.

"We tried to talk to him, but he'd cracked after killing Peter Pettigrew. Laughed like a madman the whole way to Azkaban," she squeezed Remus' hand tightly, looking over at him. He smiled for a moment.

"You two are quite convincing together," Flitwick said, taking a long drink from his cup and hiccuping after.

"That's because it stopped being an act a while ago," McGonagall added, smiling a bit as she drank, "Albus should consider match-making as a lucrative side job."

Though they all laughed, Morgana and Remus both shared a short look. Remus squeezed her hand now.

"The best teammate I could ask for," Remus said. Hagrid smiled, holding his mug out to the others, who all raised their glasses to his.

"To 'arry, to Hogwarts!" he said, both he and Flitwick now adequately sauced. They clinked glasses and all took a drink.

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He squeezed away from the table and ran under the cloak out the door and before he knew it he was huffing and puffing back in the castle, his heart pounding. He couldn't seem to process all he'd just learned, and he found himself up in a deserted tower shrugging off his cloak, just trying to process it all. Sirius Black turned over his parents, who had been his and Lupin's best friends, to Voldemort. He was coming to Hogwarts to finish the job, kill Harry. And that was why Morgana and Remus Lupin were here. Posing as married professors, watching him like a hawk. He supposed he should be grateful, but he felt betrayed. The sky was darkening outside, and though he knew he should get back, see Ron and Hermione and try to sort all this out, he couldn't seem to get up and do it. Instead, he pulled the Marauders Map from his pocket and opened it, watching the dots moving around the castle for a while. He searched for Morgana and Remus, who were both in their office now. The map called her 'Morgana Fawley' too, only serving to make him feel more darkly toward them both. He resolved that he would get answers from them both during their lessons, and if they truly gave a damn about him at all they'd give them willingly.

The Firebolt gleamed in the light, brand new and shining brighter than all the decorations in the Great Hall. Ron gasped. Harry couldn't believe what he was looking at.

"Merry Christmas, Harry, Hermione, Ron," Morgana walked into the hall, looking entirely exhausted. She'd been gone since the holiday began and had pushed back their first lesson as well.

"Professor, Harry just received this in the mail with no addressee," Hermione said suddenly, drawing the most contemptuous glare from Ron. Morgana looked at the broom, a bit startled.

"Minerva," she said, motioning to Professor McGonagall across the room.

"Hermione, it's just a gift! What is your deal?" Ron said indignantly. She ignored him, looking nervously at Morgana and McGonagall as they approached the broom.

"It doesn't feel like there's anything on it, any magical traces," Morgana said as she ran her hand slowly over the expanse of the broom. It rose from the table a little, but settled immediately back.

"No note, you said? No idea who sent it?" Morgana asked Harry. He shook his head. The Firebolt was the most expensive broom on the market, one he'd been looking at longingly in a catalog for weeks.

"We'll have to confiscate it," McGonagall said, gingerly lifting the broom from the table by it's newspaper wrapping.

"But Professor Lupin said it was fine," Harry said, looking to Morgana to help him. She shook her head.

"Professor McGonagall is your head of house, Harry. She will determine if the broom is safe for you to possess," she said, not looking at Harry but at Ron, who was fuming as though it was his gift being taken from him.

The door of the Defense classroom opened and Harry walked in slowly, looking around. Remus Lupin was by himself, sipping tea at his desk.

"Evening, Harry. Ready to get started?" he asked, setting down his cup and rising.

"Is your wife joining us too?" Harry asked, renewing his determination to get the answers that had been plaguing him all holiday.

"Yes, she will be. But she doesn't have any news on your broom, though she's insistent there's nothing wrong with it," he added. Harry frowned.

"It wasn't… you who got it for me was it?" he asked. Remus smiled.

"I'd love nothing more to claim that I had, or could. I am compensated for my time here, but not well enough to afford a Firebolt. Now Morgana, she is that extravagant, but she would have wrapped it much better," he motioned to a pile of golden wrapped gifts on a desk near his office door, which soon opened.

"Oh so you're just now acknowledging my doting adoration of you? I could've sworn I'd just finished hearing, 'Morgana I don't need anything. What are all these? I don't have this many possessions to my name now'." She had a dead on impression of Remus' stoic tone but stern face, Harry laughed a little, losing his nerve to ask them all the questions he'd had pent up inside. Remus rolled his eyes a bit but smirked at her.

"Whenever you're both done, we can start doing some real work."

Morgana rolled her eyes in the same way, taking Harry over to a practice area they'd prepared for him.

"Like the Grinch says, we are here to teach you what is called the Patronus charm. A patronus is a guardian, an animal that protects you from harm. It's a complex bit of magic because beyond a simple incantation, it also requires a strong and happy memory," she spoke as she conjured a mess of soft pillows along the floor before the same boggart infested cupboard from the break room. Remus took up next to her, smiling a bit and twisting the ring on his finger absently.

"Saying the words, Expecto Patronum, is not enough. You have to fill your mind with what the dementors feed from, happiness. So I want you to think, think of the happiest moment of your life, Harry. Take your time," Remus added, seeing Harry's face contort for just a moment. He thought for a bit, and finally nodded.

"Okay, let's try it. This is going to be the boggart from before, and we'll be right here to help. Just remember, focus on your happy memory, and say 'Expecto Patronum'."

Harry nodded again, taking his wand from his robe and standing in front of the cascade of pillows. Morgana stole a look to Remus, who flicked his wand and released the boggart. A dark, icy wind swept the room and Harry could already feel it squeezing into him though he tried to keep it at bay.

"Expecto… expecto pa…" he felt himself fading, the screaming becoming louder.

"Expecto Patronum!" he could hear Morgana's voice faintly as he fell back into the pillows, saw the silver creature push back the boggart into the wardrobe and the doors shutting.

Remus was at his side helping him rise, the warmth of the room beginning to fill him again.

Harry blinked a few times, the silver wolf stared back at him for a moment before disappearing.

"I thought yours was a bird," Harry said as he stood.

"They can change. Mine… apparently has," Morgana answered, herself looking a mixture of confused and embarrassed. Remus' face could not be read.

"What makes them change?"

Morgana cringed.

"Love," Remus answered quietly.

Harry suddenly felt like he was intruding on a moment meant for the two of them. Morgana was looking at Remus, Remus back at her.

"I know you're not married," Harry said, causing them both to look down at him.

"I know you know," Morgana replied quickly, drawing Remus' eyes to her, "I saw Ron and Hermione trying to sneak out of the pub that day. I imagine they told you everything they heard. Which is probably why it's difficult for you to focus on a happy memory when you've got enough negative energy to become a dementor yourself."

"So he is my godfather? And you were his friend? You knew my dad," he said to Remus, his face sinking into a sad look. Remus glanced at Morgana, and pulled from his pocket a folded, worn looking photograph. He hesitated for a moment, and handed it to Harry.

It was four young boys, not much older than Harry if he had to guess. One was clearly his father, he himself such a spitting image it was hard not to see. Beside him was a rather handsome, bored looking boy with long black hair, Harry could barely tell it was the same man plastered on every wanted poster in the wizarding world. Beside him, a younger, less scarred Remus Lupin, smiling the same patient smile he always had. And beside him, a small pudgy boy who was looking at James and Sirius smiling and laughing with them.

"Fourth year or going into it, I'd say. James' mother took that photo of us. We were truly inseparable, though James and Sirius were the closest of us all. They did everything together," he said, looking at the photo that seemed to deflate Harry of all his anger towards the both of them.

"Bunch of troublemakers, the four of them. Always running around the school causing mischief," Morgana added with a little laugh.

"Don't lump me into that," Remus said with a small smile.

"You knew them too?" Harry asked Morgana.

"I did, though not much being I was a Slytherin. I only ever met your father on the quidditch field. You're as good a seeker as he was," Morgana replied, taking up next to Remus. He put an arm around her, lost in his own memories.

"Why'd he do it?"

"We don't know, Harry. And we probably never will. Last I saw of him, he was sitting in a cell in Azkaban asking if he was allowed to receive mail. Wouldn't talk about Peter, or James. Didn't seem bothered by the dementors at all. Ministry's just announced he'll be getting the Kiss when they find him…"

"The Kiss?"

Remus and Morgana looked at each other.

"A dementor sucks away happiness, they live off of it. Well, the meal of the day for them is a person's soul. They can take it, suck it right out of you," Remus said.

"They kill you?"

"No, you don't die. Souls are our substance, our personality, our morality, the nougat of our chocolate. You lose it, you're still there, but it's not you. You're just a shell, empty inside," Morgana said, clasping a silvery chain at her neck absently. Harry didn't say anything for a bit, choosing instead to look at Remus' photo.

"You can have that, if you'd like to," Remus said. Harry shook his head, handing back the photo.

"Thanks, but it's yours. You must carry it with you for a reason," he replied.

"Yeah, I must..."

He tucked the photo back away. Morgana looked at Harry, biting her lip for a moment.

"I know that this, all of this, is a heavy weight for you to carry. You're not alone, okay? We both pledged to keep you safe, and don't hesitate to make us cash in on that as much as you'd like. You are the reason we found each other, so we at the very least owe you our unwavering loyalty," Morgana said, reaching out and taking Harry by the shoulder. Her touch was warm, her eyes kind.

"Practice your patronus with some different memories, I'm positive we will make some headway next time," Remus said. Harry nodded, the weight of the world settling down on his shoulders again.

"Remus, I'm going to walk Harry to the dorm, so Filch doesn't give him a hard time," Morgana said. Remus nodded, choosing to clean up instead.

They walked in silence for a bit, Harry feeling the exhaustion of everything pouring over him and Morgana deep in thought.

"I got you something too," she said as they got to the top of the stairs. She pulled a small gold wrapped package from her robe pocket.

"It's nothing fancy, but if you ever need us, just grab it and say 'Help' and we will come running," she pressed it into his hand, smiling a bit. He opened the package, a small unassuming golden coin with an etched pattern and the letters S.o.M.

"Thanks," he said, turning the coin over. The other side was etched too, a moon and stars that twinkled.

"Of course. Goodnight, Harry," She leaned in and embraced him, something he hadn't realized he'd needed, but clung back to her immediately.

"I wish I could take some of this immense burden from you," she said, stroking his hair gently.

"Thank you, professor," he managed.

"Just Morgana is fine, Harry," she said, letting him go.

"I think Professor Lupin is going to be waiting for you," he said. She smiled a little.

"He's been waiting for me for a long time, I think he can stand a bit longer," she replied, then quickly pressed a kiss to Harry's scar. It tingled warmly at her touch.

"I am always here for you, Harry Potter. No matter what," she added, holding his gaze for a moment before descending the staircase and disappearing toward her office.

He leaned on their office desk, looking into the fire as it danced slowly along the logs he'd placed there. She opened the door slowly, knowing she would see him but hoping she wouldn't.

"So, you love me?" he asked in his stoic tone, looking over at her in the doorway. She closed it quietly.

"That's what you've mulled up this whole time I've been gone, that single four word question was the best you could come up with?" she replied, a bit frustrated. He laughed a little, though it was dry and humorless.

"I just think that it's silly."

"Silly?" she crossed the room, facing him with arms folded just out of his reach.

"To love me. When you know better than anyone what I am, how little I can offer you," he answered, looking her in the eyes. Hers flashed darkly at him.

"Ah, so this has been rehearsed a bit. Who else have you had to tell this to?"

He didn't answer. In truth, it had been only once before, many years ago. And he had said nearly the exact same thing. Since then, he'd never been foolish enough to get close enough to anyone to have to break their heart. He hated himself for speaking the words now, when more than anything he wanted to take her into his arms and be in love with her too.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to say. She swept away into her room, the door closed quietly and he followed her to it but something smashed against it, breaking into an unimaginable amount of pieces. He flinched, took a step back and pointed his wand under the door.

"Reparo," he muttered.

"Piss off, Remus," she said through the door, grabbing the repaired object and setting it wherever it had belonged.

"This isn't what I want, Morgana," he said, taking to the door again. He felt the knob turn, she stood teary eyed in a small gap,

"What do you want, Remus?" she asked. That was an easy question. He wanted her. He wanted to be happy. And she was that. She opened the door a bit wider. She'd taken off her robes, and he realized for all the foolish kissing they'd done he'd really never seen her without them. The tank top she was wearing, small and grey, ended at her hips and left her skin bare. Her skin was beautiful but covered with scarring. The most prominent of which he had felt once before, was nearly matched by another set of scratch marks from her left hip upward, sparing her belly button and seemed to end along her right shoulder.

"Do you want me to agree with you, that I could never understand who you are? Believe me, I understand. Very well."

"Who did this to you?"

Whomever it was, he thought, they had better be dead.

"Fenrir Greyback, ambushed me one night in the forest, and left me for dead. He didn't care for my politics, didn't care for my kind nature. He's got his scars too," she replied coarsely. Though he had always disliked when others did it to him, he couldn't help but look at all the scarring on her. Two perfect circle puncture wounds just above her right collar bone that dragged viciously across her chest.

"I would have killed him, I could have. When you let the other side, the vampire side, take over you could rip apart anything with your bare hands. I let him leave me in the forest, bleeding and dying because I can't kill people. I didn't want that side of me to kill, to rip another piece of my soul apart. So they call me Morgana the Kind because I showed kindness to our most misguided, even at the cost of my life. I am showing you the same kindness now. You are misguided if you think you don't deserve to be loved. So let me break some things, and cry, and be heartbroken like the last girl who stepped foot in your carefully crafted fortress of solitude and got turned away."

He pushed the door open, and she didn't fight it. He took her in his arms, kissed her with the passion he'd held back until now. She resisted for a moment but gave in quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back into her room. The door closed quietly, locked, and she walked him back to her bed while they kissed. He could feel they'd reached it, and she pulled away.

"Is this what you wanted?" she asked, breathing heavily with eyes still twinkling. Though he clung to his solitude like an old friend, he realized now in his talk with Harry that old friends don't always stay friends, and sometimes it was best to let the old things go.

"I love you," he said, the words coming quickly and clumsily, but with more stinging, painful heart than he'd ever felt. Fear flooded him, warmth and cold and everything he'd conditioned himself not to feel.

"I love you too," she answered, pulling him down onto her bed. Clothes flew away in moments and he could truly see the extent of her old wounds. She smiled a little nervously, grasping the chain around her neck and releasing the clasp. The small glowing orb, encased in a circular cage, floated to her bedside table.

"It's been a long time," she said quietly, watching his eyes trail across her frame.

"Same here," he answered, coming back to her eyes. His teenage nerves flared up again, and he searched them for some direction.

"Don't worry," she said, taking his face in her hands. He smiled a bit, leaning down to kiss her again.

It wasn't as though he'd never had sex before, but something was different with her. It meant more, felt more precious. The small wince, the sharp intake of breath, the sweet little noises. She was the most beautiful woman in every moment, he couldn't take his eyes off of her and he was intent on this moment lasting forever.

"Do you truly love me?" she asked as she lay on his bare chest, tracing an old scar along his ribs. He glanced down at her, still trying to catch his breath.

"You make me happy. You are a good, kind, beautiful, and caring woman. You're the first woman I've never been afraid to be around. The way you teach these kids, how you care so deeply for each of them. I am very much in love with you," he answered, the words coming so much easier than they had earlier.

"You make me happy too. I love your sense of humor, you patience and your intelligence, you're pretty easy on the eyes too," she looked up, her hand drawing him by the jaw down to kiss her.

"I think what I know, more than anything, is that I trust you," he said, the thought really having just come to him, he knew that it was what was different here.

"I trust you too. With everything I am," she pulled herself up a bit, nestling herself beside him. It felt nice, her skin on his, her fingers still lazily tracing scars on his chest until her breathing became rhythmic and she was fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry lifted his leg over the Firebolt broomstick, letting it lift him with ease onto the pitch. It was light, responsive, and fast as hell. He heard the whistle, the start of the game. He found himself far above the action, scanning the field not far off from the Ravenclaw seeker, a pretty girl named Chang. He put the last part out of his mind, checking his inner robe pocket for his wand as he made a trail across the field, peering down at the Gryffindor box where Morgana And Remus sat. They waved at him, both all smiles. He'd been excelling more and more with each of their lessons, and spent quality time with the two that had lifted much of his worry over the last few weeks.

A sparkle.

He dove, the Chang girl on him, though her broom was no match for his. The snitch zoomed off and upward, drawing them both in the same direction. He was on the snitch, so close to it. A scream in his ear tore his head to the side, into the boxes where four hooded dementors were. In a flash, his wand was out and he was thinking of the first Quidditch match he'd ever won.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A large antlered stag, erupted from his wand and chased down the dementors that had paralyzed Chang and much of the team below him. Another glittering speck, just above his eye. He reached up and snatched the snitch with his wand hand, drawing a raucous and rowdy cheer from below. Harry touched down on the field, meeting his team and feeling them embrace him tightly.

"Harry! Bloody brilliant!" Fred and George shouted simultaneously "That'll teach them!"

As they all let him go, he could see Morgana and McGonagall dragging the dementors two each down from the stands. Dragging them, he thought, that couldn't be right.

Remus caught his arm.

"Excellent patronus regardless of the targets, Harry!" he said over the noise around them. Harry continued to watch Morgana and McGonagall. They de-hooded the dementors, cloaked imposters.

"50 points from Slytherin for each of you!" McGonagall shouted at the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, and Crabbe. Morgana had Malfoy and Goyle, looking equally as furious.

"I'll be glad to take each of them for detention, Minerva. A sad, sorry disappointment to your house, each of you!" Morgana added. McGonagall nodded, letting them all go. They looked sourly over toward Harry, and Morgana yelled something Harry couldn't hear at them, the cheering growing louder and more rowdy from the sea of red and gold surrounding him.

"It'd do you good to stop staring at me, Severus."

Morgana sat alone, drinking from her same goblet and looking out at the chattering students clamoring around Ronald Weasley. He was telling and retelling his harrowing escape from Sirius Black just the night before to anyone who'd listen.

"I'm just surprised you'd choose to show your face at this table after last night," he replied, taking a forkful of scrambled egg and continuing his glare.

"I was not on the grounds last night, and Remus is ill," she replied tensely, her knuckles whitening a bit as she took another sip from her mug. She had wished she had been there, maybe she could have caught him.

"Politics on capitol hill be damned, you were supposed to be on patrol," he replied.

"I cleared it with Dumbledore before leaving. Next time I'll remember to send you an owl too, Severus," she snapped back, a small cracking noise making the contents of her goblet drip lazily along her index finger. She quickly let it down, wiped it away with a napkin, and caught the eyes of Hermione Granger watching her from the Gryffindor table. She looked away quickly, rising from her chair without a word and leaving the hall.

"Reparo," she muttered, the crack slowly sealing itself. Snape attempted to hide a laugh with a strong cough.

"No one blames you, or Remus, for what occurred last night," McGonagall said from behind them both, shaking her head at Snape. He continued to eat his food without a word.

"I blame myself. I know Remus isn't going to be pleased when I tell him. We missed another opportunity to be done with this game Black is playing with that poor boy."

He awoke to her laying as gently as she could down beside him, his entire body a dull roar of aching to the bone.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Evening. Kids are all out at Hogsmeade I just wanted to let you sleep," she answered, snuggling up to him as gently as she could. He flexed his arm out under her, though it took much effort to do so.

"I miss anything?"

"A bit," she answered quickly, but made no move to continue. Instead she pressed tiny kisses onto his neck.

"You hungry? I brought you some food from the kitchens. So many elves working down there. There's a free one too, sweet little Dobby. I want him for myself but he says he enjoys it here."

He lifted himself up a bit, ignoring the aching and creaking pains of the task.

"You're making small talk. What happened?"

She sat up, cross legged on the bed and looked at him.

"Black got into the castle again. Into Harry's dorm. Slashed the curtains on Ron's bed, and he got away, again," she said, not looking at him "I wasn't here, I was summoned for a meeting so now Severus thinks I left the front door open on my way out," she added.

"Ah so neither of us can account for one another this time," he ran a hand through his hair, looking out the curtained window at the sun peeking through it.

"I doubt you were capable of much last night. If Freddo is to call upon me, he sends word to Dumbledore first. He is not to apparate onto these grounds without doing that, even in an emergency," she said, almost defiantly.

"I was in no right state to let anyone into Gryffindor tower last night," Remus said.

"He got in because Longbottom dropped a written list of the passwords somewhere in the castle earlier that day. Brave of him to admit it to us. Minerva dropped the hammer on him."

He slowly moved his legs to the side of the bed and stood. She was beside him quickly, helping him.

"I should talk to Dumbledore," he said, biting his lip so hard it drew a bit of blood. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What about?"

"I think I know how he's getting in, getting by the dementors, getting by all of us," he said. She looked up at him.

"Have you always known?"

"I've always had a suspicion. When you said he was never affected by dementors, when Harry said he was being followed. Morgana, he's-"

"Remus, Morgana!" the irritated drawl of Severus Snape drew their eyes to the door.

"He's calling from the fire," she said, going to the door and leaving it open for the limping Remus.

Severus' angry face was visible in the fire from where she stood.

"How can we help you, Severus?"

"My office, now," he answered, his face disappearing and leaving the green glow of the open floo portal behind. They looked at each other, and Morgana stepped through first, appearing a moment later in Snape's office staring at a bewildered Harry. Remus appeared behind her, steadying himself on her as he landed. She turned and brushed the soot from his shoulders.

"Remus shouldn't be out of bed, Severus. What do you want?" Morgana said coarsely.

"I want an answer, from either one of you, as to what kind of dark magic this is?"

He pointed his wand at a blank piece of parchment on his desk. Morgana turned to look at it, then to Harry, who oozed absolute terror. She could feel Remus echo a bit of it behind her.

"Although I feel strongly as your fellow educator that I shouldn't have to tell you this… It's a piece of parchment, Severus," she said, looking down at it.

"Check it yourself," he said, lifting the paper and handing it to her as though it carried disease. She took it, running her ring hand across it slowly. She could see the red ink curving along the paper before her even as she trailed her fingers across it.

 _Msr. Prongs congratulates whomever was clever enough to put a ring on that finger._

Morgana laughed a little, but she was the only one. Behind her, Remus stood perfectly still, reading over her shoulder.

 _Msr. Padfoot only wishes he'd met her first._

"What is this, Harry?" she asked, giggling as the words disappeared. He shook his head.

"Just a joke piece of parchment from Hogsmeade. Ron got it for me and-"

"-and nothing! Tell me how it works, Potter. How did you get into Hogsmeade today?" Snape's hand landed his table with a shocking force. Another looping bit of cursive that Morgana recognized more than the others appeared.

 _Msr. Moony it seems will be taking credit for this one. Mischief definitely managed._

Remus took the parchment from her quickly.

"Harry isn't allowed in Hogsmeade. I saw him and Neville Longbottom both heading up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room when everyone else left," Morgana said. Remus studied the parchment behind her, feigning a deep interest in it.

"I'm aware the boy isn't allowed in Hogsmeade. And yet he was seen today by Draco Malfoy near the Shrieking Shack. So explain how that can be done."

Morgana looked back at Harry, reading him quickly and seeing all that had occurred.

"Perhaps Mr. Malfoy was mistaken, Severus. It happens from time to time. I could swear I'd seen these fun little things in the trick shop at Hogsmeade last I went. It would make sense that Mr. Weasley would bring back souvenirs for Harry, and I'm quite sure Mr. Malfoy has proven that he has a very anti-Potter agenda. I would hope that you do not host the same immature preoccupations," she stated, her eyes meeting his for a split second. Snape stiffened in his chair. Morgana glanced to Harry.

"Up, Potter. We'll be dropping you off back at the Gryffindor dormitories on our way back to our office. And we will be taking your joke parchment, just for the trouble. I said, get up," Her tone rose bumps on Harry's arms as he stood up. She took him by the arm and rushed him out of the office, Remus close behind her. Her grip was cutting off his circulation, but she only let go when they were far enough out of Snape's dungeon.

"Harry, what in the bloody hell are you thinking?" Morgana began angrily. Remus put a hand on her shoulder.

"Harry, where did you get the map?" he asked quietly, though his tone was calmer his face was almost as angry as Morgana.

"I… I found it," he muttered, unable to look at anything but his shoes.

"Please do not treat me like a fool, Harry. This map is not something you find. It is something you are given. Possessing it, and using it to get yourself to Hogsmeade is both foolish and incredibly dangerous. I figured you smarter than this, and honestly I'm disappointed in you. Morgana is correct that you are not getting this back. And don't for one fleeting second think you'll still be able to use the Honeydukes cellar passage again without me knowing. Goodnight."

Harry made to speak, to apologize, but Remus held up his hand to stop him.

"Goodnight, Mr. Potter," he repeated. Harry turned and ran up the stairs. Morgana turned on Remus.

"So, you do know what this thing is?"

"I helped create it," he answered, unfurling the parchment and grabbing his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said to it, the wand pointed upon the blank parchment. Ink began to flourish artfully across it, constructing rooms, labels, names. He held it out to her. She took it, looked down, and around quickly.

"This is a real-time map of Hogwarts…. Wow. Here we are, Morgana Fawley. How does it know who I am?"

"It knows everyone on the grounds, sees everyone. If I'd known this thing was floating around again, I'd have confiscated it at the beginning of the year. Of course it would come into Harry's hands, his father had a hand in this too," he said, staring down at the map beside her. Harry was nearing Gryffindor tower, having just missed a run in with Professor McGonagall on patrol.

"So did Sirius Black, too, I'll bet," she said, tracing a marked secret passageway.

"I've been checking them all, on my own time. The only one that still works is the one Harry's been using, From this statue to the cellar of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade."

"So is this what you were going to tell me?" she asked, looking up at him. He stared at the map for a bit longer, watching the dots of people moving about the castle. He considered lying to her, but why? He could not possibly be trying to help Sirius. He was only serving himself by keeping hold of this secret. He glanced down, seeing Harry in the Gryffindor common room, next to Ron Weasley and Peter Pettigrew.

He grabbed the parchment from her roughly.

No.

No. That could not be correct.

"Peter Pettigrew?" he whispered, watching the little dot next to Harry and Ron disappear quickly into the dorms.

"What? Peter?" she repeated, looking over his arm. He shook his head quickly.

"Can't be. I must have misread the name…" he muttered, shaking his head a bit. His vision wasn't the greatest now, still feeling the effects of the full moon. He looked at her.

"Will you come with me to see Dumbledore?"

Morgana nodded. She could feel the sharp panicking pain Remus felt, it struck her like static electricity when he took her hand. They quietly, much too quickly, found themselves in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office.

"Cotton candy," Morgana said, when Remus couldn't seem to muster up the words. His unease was making his palms sweat. She'd never seen him less than collected, and honestly began to think maybe Sirius Black was hiding in their office somewhere. It took everything for her not read him, to try and recall the man she trusted was worthy of it. The gargoyle leapt aside and as they moved toward the door it opened gruffly, the Minister of Magic himself on the other side. He locked eyes with Morgana, a courtesy he immediately regretted.

"Minister," she said curtly. He looked to Remus instead.

"Morgana Fawley, so this is where you've been hiding. Why am I not surprised?" he replied, equally as curt, and reversing himself back into Dumbledore's office. Morgana swept past him, breaking her grip to Remus, who trailed in behind her.

"My whereabouts are no concern of the Ministry. I am not a fugitive of your great inescapable prison," she shot back, meeting eyes momentarily with Dumbledore, who stood stoic beside his desk, watching everything unfold.

"Ah, but no one has ruled you out as abettor of said fugitive."

A moment of silence made the air uncomfortably thick.

Morgana took the deepest of breaths.

"What exactly would give you reason to believe I'd take a murderer into my sanctuary?" she asked, carefully pausing every few words. Fudge opened his mouth and closed it quickly.

"I apologize, Minister. That was rhetorical. You see, I know you believe we are all murderers by default," she motioned to herself and Remus, "so the more the merrier, am I correct?"

"Professors Lupin," Dumbledore said. The both of them turned to him, drawing a curious eyebrow from Fudge.

"The Minister is here only to finalize details of the execution of Buckbeak tomorrow evening. He is not involved in the pursuit of Sirius Black or the interrogation of any of my esteemed and trustworthy staff. Am I correct in that, Minister?"

Fudge looked at Dumbledore, then at Remus, then somewhere just beyond Morgana, who glared back at him.

"That is correct. Goodnight all," he said finally, quickly making his exit and closing the door behind him rather roughly.

"Headmaster, I apologize," Morgana began, but Dumbledore quickly waved it away.

"He had it coming to him. What can I do for you both? I understand Severus caught up with Mr. Potter wandering the halls past curfew. I trust he's been disciplined?"

Remus nodded, words not currently his strong suit. Morgana looked at him for a moment.

"Sir," she began. She could hear a phrase repeating itself in Remus' head.

 _Please forgive me._

She could practically hear his heart racing from where she stood. She looked at Dumbledore, then back to Remus. He was staring straight ahead at a portrait sleeping in it's frame as though it were the most interesting of things. She reached out to him, taking his hand for a moment. He calmly looked over at Dumbledore.

"Harry snuck into Hogsmeade using a secret passage. We have added it to our list of regular patrol routes and will be making sure he does not use it again," he stated. Dumbledore nodded solemnly.

"That boy is more like his father than anyone hoped," he replied. Remus nodded.

"Sometimes I swear I'm talking to James," he answered back.

"Remus," Morgana said, almost pleading. That was not what they were here for. He looked down at her, the stoic face of a man she suddenly could no longer read even if she tried stared into her eyes almost brazenly. He'd finally done it, learned to close his mind. The magnitude of the secret he was keeping was one strong enough to shut him down completely. He would rather have saved Sirius than honor her trust. The trust she placed in him for her soul, and he was lying to Dumbledore. Her heart dropped. Her stomach knotted. She let go of the already slackened grip of their hands completely.

A loud crack struck through the silence.

Freddo kneeled before her.

"My queen, her suitor, Headmaster. I apologize for the interruption. Queen Morgana, you are needed. It is of the utmost urgency."

"What's going on?"

Freddo stood, shakingly.

"Ministry officials are at the gates. They are demanding we let them inside to check for the fugitive Black. They are not taking no for an answer. They've made threats. The longer we make them wait, the more they are likely to comb for illegal items, and creatures," he added, staring at Morgana solemnly. Freddo himself was an illegal creature. Worthy of the same quick and cruel fate as Buckbeak.

She looked up to Dumbledore, past Remus. Whatever pain she felt from his lies, they were of no matter. Her home was in trouble.

"I have to go," she said. Dumbledore nodded.

"I understand."

"Can you keep him? He's a decent cook, you can cook for the kids for a bit, Freddo. You'll be safe here, okay?"

Dumbledore nodded quietly. Freddo looked up at Morgana fearfully.

Morgana took great pain in not looking once at Remus as she took to the crackling fire behind them, tossed in floo powder, and tried to speak clearly. Her heart hurt. But her resolve had to remain.

"The Sanctuary of Moon."


	10. Chapter 10

It had taken damn near everything in Morgana to remain calm.

The scores of men that trounced through her mansion, her territory, the forests around it; leaving muddy footprints and countless messes in their wake; the Minister was a rotten man for taking advantage of her absence.

Arthur Weasley had stood by her, offered to 'keep an eye on her' but only stood by to express his apologies. He was a good man, she thought as she trudged through the Forbidden forest and back to the school. And he was the only good man left in this world, as far as she was concerned.

She felt a flash of anger at the thought of Remus, the deep ache of betrayal. Though she could always account for him as far as helping Sirius Black into the castle, she could not trust that he didn't know how it was happening. That hurt ran deep. But she should have known better, she thought bitterly. She should have known there were no good men left unscathed in this world. There were no men without secrets, without lies.

"Queen Morgana! My queen!"

The scout came barreling through the forest with little regard, scattering nestled creatures about and rustling trees. The look of terror on his face, there was something happening on the grounds.

"What's wrong?" she asked, catching by the shoulders as he tripped over a fallen branch.

"Three students… attacked by a wild dog… drug into that large tree with the angry branches… it was the Potter boy and his friends, the ones you told me to watch for…"

As he spoke, a heat drew from her cloak pocket. She reached in, touched the coin she'd given Harry the exact match of not long ago. He'd activated it, the stars and moon had disappeared and the SoM had turned to SOS. She glanced at her ring for a moment. She could call for Remus on it, if she twisted it clockwise thrice, as Dumbledore had shown them both when he'd given them over. But he could not be trusted, not any longer. She'd have to go it alone.

"Show me where, and return to the Sanctuary, await my orders," she said quietly. The scout bowed and ran off toward the Whomping Willow, much more quietly now.

She could feel him.

Of greater concern, she could smell blood, human blood. Her teeth ached, the way they always did when she was near it. She hated it, to the point that bile rose uncomfortably in her throat at the smell. This house was old, cobweb swept and covered in rotten destroyed furniture. There were huge scratch marks along the walls, bigger than any wild dog could make. She slowly ascended the rotted staircase, tracing the scent of blood up towards the room. She could not avoid the creaking of the wood, even under her light step.

"Who's there?!"

A hoarse voice shouted from just outside the cracked door of a far room. Though it had been some time, she recognized his voice. She froze, waiting quietly to see what he would do.

"Please, Mr. Black; we need to get Ron help. I think his leg is broken," Hermione's sobbing voice came through the same cracked door.

"Quiet, girl! Who's out there?! Show yourself!"

Morgana stepped quietly through the doorway with her hands up, doing her best to survey the room as she did.

"Morgana? Morgana Fawley?" The gaunt-faced Sirius Black croaked in surprise. Morgana smiled gently at him.

"Hello, Sirius," she replied kindly, taking another step into the room.

"Morgana, remember the last time we spoke? I found him! I found him because of you," he shouted at her in excitement. Morgana continued to hold her patient smile as Sirius dropped his wand arm and came closer.

"I'm going to kill him, finish this once and for all," he said, again stepping closer to her.

"I trusted you!" Hermione shouted from behind them, causing Morgana to turn.

"I trusted you both; and all this time you were helping him?" she continued, standing and stepping toward Morgana.

"No, Hermione. I did not help him, I-"

"-you're a monster!" she shouted, causing Sirius to point his wand at her head again.

Morgana held her hands up once more.

"Hermione, now is not the time to hash out your feelings about me, or my husband. We are your professors, and Harry will tell you himself that we owe him a great debt that neither one of us would ever fail to uphold."

Harry nodded a bit, silencing Hermione and drawing her back down toward Ron.

"Never pegged you for the settling down type. You were always so ambitious. I suppose you still are," he commented. She lowered her hands again slowly, focusing on the wands pointed at her.

"Ambition and love are not mutually exclusive, you know that. I'm not armed, can I check on the boy?" she asked, motioning her head toward the slumped over Ron at the far end of the room.

"You can give me the rat in his pocket, so we can be done with all of this," he answered, tipping the wands toward Ron as well. Ron weakly clutched to squirming rodent in his hands. Morgana looked back to Sirius.

"What do you want with the boy's pet?" she asked. Sirius let out a croaking, maniacal laugh but gave no answer. Though she already knew it, Sirius was proving as insane as the last time they'd spoken.

"Sirius, it's time to end this. You and I both know it's going to end one way or another, much worse way. Come quietly with me, now. We don't have to mention any of this to the Minister," she said, offering her hand out to him. He scoffed.

"I've read the papers, Fawley. You can't stop them giving me the Dementor's Kiss. So I'd like to at least get what I came here for first," he answered, again leaving his focus on her to her outstretched hand. He was nervous, and therefore easily distracted by her movements. If she tried to call for Remus now, he'd notice.

"It's not Fawley anymore," she corrected him gently, taking steps backwards toward Ron and the others, her hands still clearly in his vision.

She kneeled down beside Ron, locking calm eyes with Harry. He was terrified, but overpowering that was the courage he showed by keeping between Sirius and Ron. She smiled gently at him, as reassuring a smile as she could manage.

"It's strange, you know. Seems you haven't aged a day since you took me in all those years ago," Sirius mused, mostly to himself as Morgana reached across to Ron and put a hand on his leg. Hermione caught it and pushed her off, surprising her.

"Don't," she whispered sternly, keeping herself between Morgana and Ron, "I know what you are. I know what you both are."

Morgana smiled a little. Of course she did, she was the smartest young witch Morgana had ever met.

"Remus is an easy sell. But I'm curious, what gave me away?" she whispered, leaning back a bit to assure that Sirius was still muttering to himself.

"You never eat. Everyone is afraid to make eye contact with you. And that coin you gave Harry, it's from the Sanctuary of Moon, I recognized the symbol from researching the essay Snape assigned us. No one would have that if they weren't a member."

"You are so, so smart, Hermione. Muggle blood be damned, you're the brightest witch of your age. I am here to help you. I would never betray Harry, or the promise I made to Dumbledore. Trust me."

Hermione nodded, not that she had much of a choice. An neither did Morgana. Her hands fell behind her back, twisting the ring three times. A small red glow emitted from it for a moment. She hoped it was the right decision. She hoped he was on the right side of this.

"You know, my husband tried to tell me that he knew how you were getting into the castle."

Freddo sat cross-legged by the fire, watching him intently as though he was going to do anything more drastic than pour over the Marauder's map again and again, searching for Peter. This map made no mistakes, no spelling errors, no glitches. He knew what he'd seen. Peter was alive, in the castle, and he had to find him.

"Suitor Lupin," Freddo said, drawing Remus' tired eyes to the rug by the fire, "do you love the queen?"

Remus looked at him, the curious vampire elf that he was, with stern eyes.

"Why do you call me that? Suitor? As though there are others?"

"You are the only one she's ever accepted. I've seen her show affection to you beyond that of this masquerade. She cares for you. I wonder if we should prepare to have a king," he asked. Remus laughed a little. Him, a husband, was hard enough to have wrapped his head around these last few months. Now a king?

"She's not very happy with me right now, so I doubt that greatly," he answered finally, looking back down at the map. He could see Harry, Ron, and Hermione all at Hagrid's hut, no doubt trying to console him over the loss of his Hippogriff.

"She is a forgiving woman. To some, too kind a woman. There are many who still resist her, attempt to undermine her, poison her, steal her necklace. Yet she lets you, an outsider, close enough to her to do any of those things. It's peculiar how much she trusts someone such as you."

Remus thought back to whenever she was served her drinks, how she'd sniff at them, swirl them; a test for human blood. He recalled seeing her necklace too.

"Why would anyone steal her necklace?"

"It's a horcrux. A part of her soul. The part that tore away when she killed the death eater who turned her," he stated, looking at Remus in pleasant surprise that he didn't already know. Of course, she'd mentioned as much once before; that her soul was 'mostly intact'.

"What a nasty whelp of a creature he was. He grew very close to her, first through letters as a fan of her for her capture of Black, then as a fellow up and coming Auror. Starved himself for months so his eyes would go back to normal before the exams. They never realized, the fools, that he wasn't normal. She knew what he was when they finally met face to face, but it was too late. He got the better of her, turned her. And when she was abandoned by the Ministry, swept under the rug; she sought him out. He was hiding in the Sanctuary of Moon. She killed him, and it tore away a piece of her soul. Before it left our realm, she captured it in that necklace, in the hopes that she'll one day be able to redeem herself enough for it to become one with her again."

Remus looked away, taking in everything Freddo had said. This death eater, had grown close to her? Though he wondered what that meant, he surely felt that he had betrayed the same trust she'd placed in that man by withholding the truth from her. And who was he really protecting besides himself? He'd had years, upon years, to tell someone this secret. Who was he saving that wasn't already dead?

A flash of red light drew his eye to his hand. His ring was glowing. That meant that Morgana was in trouble, wherever she was. He looked down at the map.

She was just beyond the Whomping Willow, in a place all too familiar to Remus. And she was standing with Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.

"The queen is in trouble," Freddo stated, standing at once, "I will take you to where she is."

"No. Stay here, I know how to get there, quickly and quietly. Just stay here."

Remus ran from the room, clutching for his wand.

It was only a short while later that a knock at the door rose Freddo from peering at the map Remus had left open on the table.

"Death Eater," Freddo stated in greeting, looking up at the slightly bothered Snape.

"They imported you over to cater to their royal whims too, I see," Snape commented stiffly, glaring back down.

"The queen and her suitor are not in," he stated, still reaching for the steaming mug Snape had in his grasp.

"Where are they? Being fitted for crowns?"

"A place called the Shrieking Shack. With that wanted man, Sirius Black."


	11. Chapter 11

"Did he now? And what did your husband tell you?"

Sirius Black stepped a bit closer to her, curious enough to stretch his tired skin into a smile.

"Actually he wouldn't tell me. I don't know why I didn't put it together myself, actually. Why the dementors never broke you, why it's been so hard to find you; you're an unregistered Animagus," Morgana stated, standing calmly with her hands clasped together in front of her. She was only biding time now, until Remus came, hopefully to help her.

"Still clever as always," Sirius said, her voice still cracking from disuse.

"Not clever enough."

In the silence that followed, Sirius dipped his head in thought, looking up at her and then down at the ground. Morgana worried he was making decisions she didn't want him to make, but he was impossible to read. He'd become good at hiding himself.

"Keep me, let the children go."

He looked up, then laughed.

"I don't want any of you. I want that rat. And I'm growing impatient with your games, Morgana Fawley. You were always kind to me. But I'm not above going through you to get what I came here for."

"Then I suppose going through me is your only option, Sirius. I wish you the best of luck," Morgana said in the same calm voice, willing Sirius to look her in the eye.

"Expelliarmus!"

Each wand Sirius held flew out of his hands and into Morgana's, a heavily breathing Remus Lupin standing in the doorway.

She held a small tentative smile, pocketing the wands.

Sirius should have been angry, but the look on his face was more equivalent to a child arriving at a theme park. Remus smiled a bit himself, straightening up and putting his wand down to his side.

"My old friend!" Sirius said, grabbing Remus in a tight hug. Morgana took a protective step back closer to the three, close enough for them to grab their wands from her pocket. They stood at odds now, and Remus turned to face Morgana more on Sirius' end of the room than hers.

"I should have known," she said, looking at them both in contempt, "how dare you not tell Dumbledore about this! You just as well let him through the doors yourself!"

"Morgana, I…" without the words to say to her, he turned to his old friend, "Listen, Padfoot, I know why you're here. I saw him too. Morgana, Peter Pettigrew is alive."

Morgana shook her head at him.

"There's no way, he can't be. That whole street was destroyed… he… we found his finger..."

Remus stepped toward her, but she held up her ring clad hand defensively.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said quietly, "but I will if I have to."

"I'm sorry. I just needed more time to be sure of my theory. If I'm wrong, I'll accept my place in all this. But Peter is not dead. He's there."

Remus pointed to Ron, and they all looked down at the rat squirming around in between his hands.

"Scabbers? You think Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew?" Ron answered incredulously.

"How old is he?" Morgana asked, kneeling down to Ron. Hermione inched closer to Ron protectively.

"About 12 or so, he's been in the family a while," Ron replied, fighting a bit hard with the now squeaking and squealing rat.

"And he's missing a toe..." Hermione said slowly, looking to Morgana is shocked realization, "And if Sirius is an Animagus, maybe Peter was too."

"Expelliarmus!"

Remus' wand flew from his hand, sending him sailing back into Sirius and both of them to the floor. Snape stood triumphantly in the doorway, looking down at them.

"Remus!" Morgana said, standing and stepping toward them. Snape turned his wand on her.

"Not another step, Queen. I knew you were both in on this together. And look at you, handing Potter off to Black on a silver platter," Snape said as he stepped further into the room, eyeing her. She smiled.

"Didn't I tell you before, Severus? If you hurt my husband, you will pay for it," she said, stepping forward toward him. She did her best to hide her change of face from the children. But baring her fangs was enough for Severus to step back into the open door frame.

"Decipula!" he said in a shaky voice. The framework of a cage appeared in the cramped room, missing Morgana and falling to a heap behind her.

"Expelliarmus!"

This time the disarming spell came from three wands, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. All of which hit it's mark and sent Snape crashing through the already decrepit wooden door. He slumped down in the corner, a small stream of blood issuing down his face from somewhere on his head. He was out cold.

Morgana took a moment to let her face relax, hiding it with a sweep of her hair. She knelt down again beside Ron, taking the rat calmly from him.

She brought the rat to Remus, her face still unconvinced. He tried to smile at her.

"Trust me," he said quietly. She stared at him, into his eyes, deeply. Searching, trying to find the truth of this. She could hear him, clearly as though he'd spoken it aloud.

 _I love you._

"With everything I am."

She nodded, in agreement or coercion, he didn't mind either way. She was with him.

She held up the squirming rodent, its beady eyes fixed wildly on Remus as he tapped it's belly with his wand tip.

It froze, stiff as a board, making Ron groan in sympathy for his poor rat. And then it began to contort. Morgana dropped it in shock, and it rose before them all a dirty fat man, Peter Pettigrew.

He immediately reached out toward her with tiny hands.

"Auror Fawley, please! Don't let this madman kill me!" he begged, dropping to his knees before her; more greatly resembling his rat self again. Remus stepped forward and kicked Peter's hands away from her.

"Do not touch her," he said sternly, simultaneously sending a hand flying back to stop Sirius from coming any closer.

"My old friend," Peter murmured, rubbing his hands and looking up at Remus, who stared back down at him in disgust.

"Let me kill him, Moony! He was the secret-keeper, and he sold them out to Voldemort. Let me kill him. Let me do what they've put me away for all these years," Sirius begged from the other end of Remus' arm.

"You… are really alive…" Morgana muttered, staring down at Peter. He turned on his knees back to her.

"Please, please have mercy! Don't let him kill me!" he again reached out toward her, and again Remus kicked his hands out.

"I said don't touch her, you traitor. How could you turn James and Lily over? How could you betray our friends?" Remus said, his wand still pointed firmly at the cowering, twitchy man.

"He… he… you were all always so much stronger than me! I didn't want to die, I didn't want to-"

"-so you let the Potters die instead? You selfish, terrible excuse of a man. You let a man rot in prison, left a boy without his parents, for your own sad, pathetic life," Morgana said, shaking her head. She glanced at Remus, then to Harry.

"He should rot in Azkaban, then," Harry said firmly, locking eyes with the now snivelling rodent of a man.

"That settles it, we won't kill him then. We'll turn him in. Come along, rat-boy," Morgana forced him via magic to his feet and procured a rope from her palm that wrapped around him in a snake-like fashion. Before he could so much as squeal a protest, a kerchief made its way around his mouth. Sirius watched Morgana work in amazement.

"Though my words don't mean much these days as an ex-Auror, I will gladly speak on your behalf for exoneration, Sirius," she said to him as she pushed Peter forward toward the door. Sirius nodded gratefully.

"Thank you. You have always been kind," he said. She laughed a bit.

"I get that a lot," she answered as he fell into step beside her. She handed him Snape's wand, and as an afterthought hoisted Snape up via magic to follow them.

Remus helped Ron get to his feet and quickly produced a splint to stabilize his leg, letting Hermione and Harry take hold of either side of him to help him along. Remus fell in just in front of them and they marched haphazardly out from the shack.

"I always wondered why you stopped visiting me," Sirius said as they awaited the slow moving trio of children behind them, "you went and got married. Who's the lucky man?"

Morgana looked at Remus, who looked back at her with a small smile.

"No… Moony?" Sirius asked with a developing grin that more and more began to suit him again.

"It was actually an arrangement Dumbledore made, for both of us to be here to keep Harry safe. We're not yet married," Remus explained. Morgana raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not yet?" she repeated.

"Well, you're already wearing the ring but I figure I should still ask," he responded. She smiled at him, glancing upward as the clouds parted and shed the light of the full moon upon them. The full moon. She looked back at Remus, who was also looking up.

"Oh… oh no… Remus? Did you take your potion? Remus!" she shouted as he dropped to his knees, his hands covering his face and his body racking in pain. Hermione looked up as they approached.

"Get back! Get back from him!" Sirius shouted. In the distraction, Morgana let go of Pettigrew, who at once transformed back into a rat and went scurrying to freedom across the lawn. Harry started after the darting rodent with a limping Ron on his tail. Morgana rushed to Remus, wrapping her arms around him as he began to shake. She looked up at Hermione, frozen in place with a horrified look.

"GO! Get out of here!" Sirius shouted at her, jarring her to move. She leapt past the fallen body of Snape and ran after the boys into the forest.

"Morgana, he's going to turn," Sirius said, watching her desperately trying to hold on to Remus as he writhed in pain. He grabbed her, pulled her back on the grass as Remus began to morph.

"Morgana, go, I've got him!" Sirius said. Morgana looked up, shook her head a bit.

"He's my responsibility. Go get them, get Pettigrew."

"But you can't-"

He stopped as her face changed before him, her teeth bared and a savage display lit her in new light under the moon. He stepped back from her, first in fear and then nodded in her capability; and quickly transformed into the large dog, leaping off into the forest. Morgana stood, face to face now with the snarling wolf Remus. Her fangs bared, she thought back briefly to the moment they met. The moment he'd walked in between Dumbledore and Snape to the hall of the sanctuary, and she set eyes on him; how her heart had felt warm, how she'd felt it beating again for the first time in long while. She'd known, somewhere deep down, she'd again meet the man who inspired her to care for those who could not care for themselves. It had been the greatest gift of all to fall in love with him too. And now, staring him down and sizing him up all at once, she prayed she would not have to kill him tonight to save her soul.

Stumbling, bloodied and trying desperately to shake free of her vampire self, Morgana wound her way through the darkness of the forest toward the shouting she'd heard only a moment before. It had sounded like Sirius, and no word of the children. She was wounded, she could feel the blood dripping off her face and body and falling onto the grass. She had hurt Remus badly enough that he'd run, but not badly enough to kill him. He may not have been so kind with her; but that wasn't her worry now.

She made it to the clearing in time to see the great lot of dementors pouring down upon Harry and Sirius. She shakingly tried to reach out her hand, cast them away, but her arm refused to move from her side. The pain, finally reaching her, told her that at the very least her shoulder was dislocated; maybe broken. So she continued to limp forward, the dementors paying her little mind as she reached them and tried to shield them from the mass of the soul-sucking monsters with her body. Somewhere close by, a silver light erupted in time for her blurring sight to catch it, to ward off the dementors attacking Harry and Sirius and send them recoiling across the lake. Morgana pulled the unconscious boy closer to her, even as her own mind began to fade the only thing she could do was protect Harry Potter with the very last breath she had. It was strange, what felt like dying that was quite the opposite.


	12. Chapter 12

Remus Lupin awoke in a panicked state.

For a moment, and maybe a few more where he attempted to rationalize the lie, he thought everything had been a dream and that Morgana was fast asleep next to him, and if he could just simply roll over he'd get to watch her wake up with the wonderful smile she always had just for him.

Except he was in the hospital of the school, and in an immeasurable amount of pain. He could only recall parts of the night, the last of it the feeling of her holding tightly onto him and Sirius dragging her away as he changed.

"My dear, this is the best I can do."

He could hear voices on the other side of the curtains from him, their shadows danced along it as they moved about.

"Look at me, Poppy. I can't… he won't..."

"Morgana, you did what you had to do to," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Morgana," Remus managed to call out, even the movement of his lips made his face scream in agony. He could not take too much stock of his wounds, even the slightest twitch was pain after a transformation.

He could see her shadow coming closer to the curtain, standing just before the opening.

"Remus," she said quietly, pieces of her dancing between the curtains as they gently moved.

His stomach sank.

"What did I do to you?" he asked quietly.

"You weren't yourself," she answered back, still hesitating behind the curtains.

"Just show me," he said.

She took a deep breath and slowly appeared, ducking her head down. She pulled back her hair and lifted her chin, tears filling her eyes as she looked at him. She smiled as she looked up, four angry jagged lines began at her ear and cut across her chin and throat. He looked at them, both in horror and awestruck the wound he had inflicted on her hadn't killed her. It was vicious looking, though it looked like Madam Pomfrey had already begun to work on trying to heal it.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said quietly. Her free arm reached up and adjusted the sling her other arm was housed in, limp and uselessly slung across her chest.

He didn't have words. What he had done to her… the amount of blood she must have lost. He surely had tried to end her. But she had fought, and even spared him in the fight.

"Did I hurt anyone else?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"No," she answered quickly, looking up again. It was hard to see her so hurt, worse that it was because of him. Now she knew, all this time he'd tried to keep her at arms length, keep everyone away so he didn't hurt anyone.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, still smiling. She reached up and touched her neck softly.

"Are you?"

He tried to account quickly for all his extremities.

"Everything seems attached," he answered back as reassuring as he could.

And much like the first time she'd done it, she ran to him and put her good arm around him, holding him close and crying into his shoulder, before he could even think to react. It was painful, but he didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as his weak body could.

"I'm so sorry," she cried to him, over and over. He shook his head.

"You were protecting everyone, you did what you had to do to protect them."

"I didn't want to hurt you."

He pulled her up to face him, pushing her hair from her wounds.

"Look at what I did to you," he remarked. She pushed his hand away, kissed his lips gently.

"I've had worse."

"I never wanted to add to it," he lamented, racked with guilt just looking at her. She held tightly onto him, as tightly as she could with her one arm.

"Morgana," he pushed her back gently, though it took everything in him to let her go himself. He knew he had to. She stood up uncertainly, her eyes brimming with tears like she knew already what was coming.

"I'm sorry."

"Please, don't. It's nothing. It's nothing," she said, covering her neck.

"Morgana Fawley," before Dumbledore could stop him, the Minister made his way through the curtains with two reluctant looking Aurors behind him. Morgana turned her back to Remus protectively, her face changing instantly from sadness to determination.

"You'll be coming with us. We have some questions for you," he said, ushering the Aurors ahead of him. Both looked on at her, one an impish woman with bright pink hair and the other she recognized from her time in the Ministry, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"I've told you everything. What more do you want from me?" she asked. The Minister looked at her visible scarring with a twitch of bother, eyeing Remus as well.

"It's a few more pressing matters, and we'd prefer your cooperation," he answered.

"Morgana, I promise you we will take care of Remus, and any other affairs you need tended to while you're away," Dumbledore said.

"We really don't want a fight," Kingsley added. The impish woman beside him nodded, though she was shaking slightly.

Morgana took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Goodbye," she said, not looking back as the Aurors took her away by wand-point.

Remus felt his heart breaking once again, for the final time.

Harry found Remus packing his office alone.

"Professor," he said from the doorway. Remus looked up with a small smile.

"I'm not your professor anymore, Harry. I've resigned. Surely you heard that, and that's surely why you're here now," Remus replied, sending a stack of books from the shelf to a box with a flick of his wand.

"Why are you leaving? So what, you're a werewolf, you're the best Defense teacher we've ever had."

He smiled a little more, but continued to pack.

"I appreciate that, I really do. But there are more children and parents who share great concerns over that fact and I'd rather save Dumbledore the trouble."

"Where's Morgana?"

His smile fell now. His chest ached for a moment hearing her name. He missed that woman. Her ring had been sitting on his desk this morning, her things already gone from her room and their office.

"Home, I'd expect," he answered after a while.

"She marched into Snape's office and hexed him for telling everyone"

"Did she?" he answered, trying not to think about her. Of course she would do exactly that.

"She swept out pretty quickly after, gave me a hug and told me to give you this. For whenever you decide to come to your senses," he held out a coin, the same one she'd given Harry and promised him to keep with him always. He took it from Harry, flipped it over a few times before putting it down on his desk beside her unmoved wedding ring.

"Thank you, for everything," he added. Remus smiled, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Anything you need, don't hesitate," Remus answered.

"Morgana said the same. I appreciate it."

Harry left Remus with his thoughts. And those were damaging.

He tossed the coin around for a bit, then reached out to touch her ring. He hadn't taken off his, but now as he held hers, he finally felt the need to. He set them both down together, hers atop his, on his desk. He hoped that she was okay, safe, happy; he hoped that she wasn't thinking of him. The beautiful time they shared together was one he would never forget, but one he prayed she would. In the coming years, he felt that he would be seeing her again. And hopefully, they'd both be over this heartbreaking love by then.


End file.
